Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2021
105. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason the processing time on a passport is reset on receipt of additional documentation thereby resulting in first-time passport applications or passport express renewal applications taking significantly more than eight weeks; when this new procedure was introduced; if he will review it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62318/21]
View answerThe processing times for all passport applications are based on current average application turnaround times and apply to passport applications that are fully complete, where all required supporting documentation has been correctly submitted to the Passport Service by the applicant.
Applications can take longer than the average turnaround time if applicants have not provided all of the required documentation to correctly complete their application. Passport Service figures show that a high proportion of applications are incomplete. The onus is on the applicant to submit the required documents to the Service. The Passport Service engages with all applicants who have not submitted the required documentation. However, their applications are not complete and cannot proceed through the processing system until all required outstanding documentation is submitted.
The Passport Service is attaching particular priority to the nearly 7% of online applications that have not been issued on or before estimated issue date that was indicated to the applicant. Intensive work is underway to eliminate these delays which are very much regretted by the Service.
The Passport Service continually examines how to improve processing times and engagement with applicants. Preparation is currently underway for several system and service improvements that will enhance the customer service experience and will improve processing times. A particular improvement that will be of interest to the Deputy is a change to the documentary management process that will reduce the turnaround time when additional documents need to be submitted by the applicant. These improvements will be rolled out in early 2022.
My Department has been actively working with the Public Appointments Service to recruit permanent and temporary staff between now and the end of January 2022. This recruitment drive is well underway and will double the number of staff in the Passport Service from June 2021 levels to a total of 920 staff by the end of January.
These staff members are currently being trained and assigned across all areas of the Passport Service, including to the teams who handle the registration, verification and scanning of the supporting documents required to complete a passport application. This can be a time-consuming process depending on the complexity of the application and the origin of the supporting documents. The rigorous verification of supporting documents is a critical measure to protect the integrity of the Irish passport.
I am confident that the additional staff currently being assigned to the Passport Service will help to reduce turnaround times, including for applicants who are requested to submit supporting documentation, and to respond to the current and anticipated high demand for passports in 2022.
