Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 November 2021
95. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport express applications which have been processed and issued since the resumption of the service on 19 July 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56240/21]
View answer96. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport express applications processed and issued in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56241/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 96 together.
My Department fully recognises that Passport Express, and Northern Ireland Passport Express, continue to be an important channel for applicants who do not wish to use the online system or who do not have access to online services.
The Passport Express channel was created in partnership with An Post’s Swiftpost option to provide customers with a passport application option through their local Post Office. In line with the continued scaling up of Passport Services, the Passport Express service resumed on 19 July 2021.
The current turnaround times for Passport Online is 10 working days for Simple Adult renewals, 15 working days for Complex renewals and 40 working days for First Time Applications. The current turnaround time for Passport Express applications which have been completed correctly is 40 working days. Prior to the pandemic the turnaround time for Passport Express was 6-8 weeks for all application types. The most complex online applications at that time had a turnaround time of 4 weeks.
Below is a table outlining the number of passports issued through the Passport Express service since 2019. Demand for the Passport Express service has fallen significantly since 2019 as more applicants choose the Passport Online service to benefit from the faster turnaround times available through this efficient online service. Over 90% of passport applicants choose the Passport Online service and it offers several efficiencies to both the customer and the Passport Service. The processing of an online application is consistently up to four times faster than the processing time of a paper application.
Adequate staffing of the Passport Service to respond to demand remains a priority for my Department and is an issue that is kept under constant review. My Department is actively working with the Public Appointments Service to recruit and assign additional staff to meet the current and forecasted high demand for passports. Additional permanent and temporary officers will be assigned between now and the end of January 2022, bringing total staff numbers to 920 and effectively doubling the number of staff at the Passport Service since June of this year. The assignment of additional staff currently underway will help to improve customer experience and application processing times, including applications received through the Passport Express Service.
In the context of the National Development Plan, my Department is making a major investment in the future of the Passport Service. Over the next couple of years, we will replace the core technology underpinning the service, which will deliver efficiencies and a more resilient passport system. Budget 2022 also included an investment of an additional €10m in passport services in response to the increasing demand for passports both at home and abroad.
The Emergency Passport service remains available in cases of medical emergency or death of a family member abroad. In addition, the Passport Offices in Mount St, Dublin 2 and in Cork are now offering an Urgent Appointment Service for the renewal of passports. To avail of the Urgent Appointment Service for Passport Renewal, applicants can book an appointment through the Department of Foreign Affairs website (www.dfa.ie/passports). Over 800 urgent appointments have been facilitated since the Passport Service launched this service on 27th September 2021.
Passport Online can be accessed by all first time applicants, irrespective of age both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world.
|
Year |
Passports issued through Passport Express |
|
2019 |
198,163 |
|
2020 |
42,275 |
|
Since 19 July 2021 to date |
6,480 |
|
2021 Total to date |
6,498 |
