Skip to main content
Normal View

Passport Applications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Questions (507, 511, 518, 519)

Réada Cronin

Question:

507. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if exceptions can be made in the case of persons who require an Irish passport for purposes of work visas overseas notwithstanding the current delay in the issuing of passports in the circumstances of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21502/21]

View answer

James O'Connor

Question:

511. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the size of the backlog of unprocessed passports due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21551/21]

View answer

Holly Cairns

Question:

518. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he expects the passport service to resume; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22019/21]

View answer

Michael Ring

Question:

519. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the Passport Office will resume processing applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22064/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 507, 511, 518 and 519 together.

In line with the National Framework on Living with Covid-19, the Passport Service continues to provide a high-quality essential service in line with Government measures to reduce social contact and combat the spread of Covid-19. 

This essential service is available for those who are required to travel due to the death or serious illness of a family member or have urgent compelling reasons for travel as defined in the recent amendment to the Health Act 1947, which came into effect on 1 February 2021. Supporting documentation is required in such cases.

Applicants who require an urgent or emergency passport, can contact the Passport Service via our Customer Service Hub Webchat function on our website.

Irish citizens who are resident overseas should continue to contact the Passport Service through the local Irish Embassy or Consulate General who continue to provide assistance to all our citizens abroad.

Staff of the Passport Service continue to produce emergency and urgent applications, to offer customer service through WebChat, to assist with consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas and temporary reassignment of staff to the Department of Health. As well as issuing more than 3,000 urgent and emergency passports, the Passport Service has also issued approximately 40,000 passports since the beginning of the year. Our Webchat team have also responded to approximately 40,000 queries.

While normal processing has paused the Passport Service has a comprehensive plan in place to resume all services, and will do so as soon as possible in line with the National Framework for Living with Covid-19. At present, there are approximately 90,000 Passport Online applications in the system. The return of operations will commence with all applications received via Passport Online. The Passport Service is confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace, that any Passport Online backlog can be cleared in six to eight weeks.

There are currently approximately 1,800 paper based applications in the system. The Passport Service  plans to resume processing of routine paper based applications such as Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express as a priority once online applications have been processed.   

Top
Share