Vol. 553 No. 6
141 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there has been a notable increase in demands on the Passport Office since the introduction of the new security policy of a company (details supplied); the action he intends to take to alleviate such demand; if he will enter into discussions with the company in order that elderly customers may be permitted to use their bus pass as identification when flying to the UK. [14905/02]
With the exception of 2001, there has been a continuing increase in passport applications in recent years, ranging between 8% and 17% annually. Last year, the rate dropped to 1.64% due, at least in part, to the impact of the foot and mouth crisis and the aftermath of 11 September.
During the period January to May 2002, almost 195,000 applications were received by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork. This represents a 10.39% increase on the same period last year. It is not possible to say how much of this extra demand is due to the introduction of a new security policy by the airline company to which the Deputy refers.
To cater for the extra demand for passports, the Passport Office has taken a number of steps including the recruitment of additional staff and increasing the level of service in the public offices. In addition, a project is being developed to modernise the entire passport issuing system. This will enable the provision of a more efficient and more effective service to the public.
