Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 May 2017
366. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if mechanisms have been put in place to assist in processing passports in view of the increase in applications being received by the Passport Office; if so, the mechanisms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24124/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, there has been a surge in passport applications in recent months. From 1 January to the end of April almost 350,000 applications had been received, representing an increase of over 20% over the same period last year. This exceptional level of demand is likely to be sustained into the summer months and my Department has put a number of measures in place to handle the exceptional volumes of applications, including increased staffing and targeted overtime. The Passport Service has recruited almost 230 temporary clerical officers in response to the seasonal demand and the more general increase in passport applications. Staff have been assigned to the Passport Office in Balbriggan, Cork and to Mount Street, Dublin. The Passport Service has also been assigned a number of permanent clerical officers over recent months. Workloads are continually re-allocated between the three Passport Offices to optimise efficiency. We will continue to keep these measures under careful review to ensure that the impact of any further increase in demand on turnaround times and service is minimised. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is currently implementing a comprehensive passport reform programme. This encompasses a renewed and more flexible technology suite, new business processes and improved services to our applicants both at home and abroad.
The launch of the online passport application service for adult renewals on 30 March was a major milestone in the programme. It represents a very significant innovation in customer service as part of the Government’s “digital first” agenda to deliver public services online. Applicants can renew their passports from anywhere in the world via a personal computer or mobile device.
The introduction of online services allows the Passport Service to streamline the processing of adult renewal applications and removes a number of manual mechanisms including scanning and the physical transfer of paper-based passport application files. Digital applications can be processed significantly faster than paper-based applications.
The result for applicants is a faster and more predictable turnaround times and the efficiencies gained mean that more staffing resources can, over time, be redeployed towards the processing of the more complex applications, fraud and customer service. A strong take-up for online services will improve the capacity of the Passport Service to manage the large volume increases in applications that we have experienced over the past eighteen months.
I urge Deputies therefore to strongly encourage constituents who qualify to use the fast, convenient and secure online service. Applicants can renew their passports at any time and passport will be returned within two weeks plus time for postage.
