Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 June 2013
33. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the campaigns his Department has undertaken to inform the general public of the new changes to the passport application service. [30781/13]
View answerThe quickest and cheapest way for customers resident on the island of Ireland to obtain their passport is to submit their applications through the passport express services offered by An Post and the Post Office in Northern Ireland. With effect from 30 June 2013, applications received by regular and registered post, which attract a higher charge and are more costly to process, will no longer be accepted and will be returned to the applicant with the advice that they use the passport express service. Further information is available at www.passport.ie.
It will still be possible to submit a passport application by attending the Passport Office in either Dublin or Cork. Priority at these public counters is given to those travelling at short notice. For those wishing to apply or renew a Passport at the Passport Office in Dublin, the Passport Service has launched a new appointment service www.passportappointments.ie. This service enables customers to book an appointment between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday to meet each customer’s specific passport requirements. It is planned to roll out the appointments system in our public office in Cork in the coming months.
Announcements of these new arrangements were placed in daily papers both north and south as well as in a range of Sunday titles. Many local papers have carried stories about the changes. Additionally the Director of Passport Services was interview by national and local radio stations. Our website prominently displayed this information as did our twitter account. There is considerable signage inside and outside of the Passport Office in Molesworth Street. Staff in the passport office have reported that the vast majority of people now presenting themselves at the office have made appointments as a result of learning of the new service.
