Vol. 562 No. 4
213 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which his recent announcement in respect of the Passport Office will impact on the service being provided to Tallaght and other population centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6089/03]
The upgrading of the passport service which I announced on 11 February last will streamline the process of issuing passports and enable a more efficient service to be provided to the public. The new system will also see the introduction of a new, more secure, passport booklet. The scheduled date for completion is autumn 2004.
There will be no diminution in the passport service to citizens in Tallaght and other population centres.
The new production centre in Balbriggan will cater for postal applications and will issue passports within ten working days to applicants who use the ‘Passport Express' service offered by An Post at its post offices throughout the country. This service is available through the main post office in Tallaght, and in seven local service plus post offices, to persons resident in Dublin 24. Applications made by regular post will continue to be processed within 20 working days.
In addition, the public offices in Dublin and Cork will continue to offer an emergency service to members of the public who require a passport for urgent travel purposes.
Question No. 214 answered with Question No. 212.
