Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 July 2022
251. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the estimated full-year cost in relation to current and capital expenditure of opening up a new Passport Office in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38425/22]
View answerOver 90% of all passport applications, including first time applications, are now being made through Passport Online which is available to 97% of all applicants across the world. 87% of applications from Northern Ireland are submitted online.
The Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to 4 times faster than paper-based passport renewal applications.
Having a centralised passport system allows us to maintain the integrity of this vitally important document. It ensures that applications are processed by highly skilled staff who are expertly trained. The Irish passport ranks fifth in the world in terms of its security. It is critical that this high standard is maintained.
Passport Service figures show a very small number of applicants, less than 1%, use the in-person Urgent Appointment Service available at the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork for those renewing their passport. This is mainly due to the efficiencies of the online system through which over 40% of adults using the service to renew their passport received it within 2 days.
In terms of any proposed additional passport office, there are considerable financial implications to consider.
The number of new passport applications is now, in fact, decreasing. For this and other reasons such as those cited above, the Department is not currently actively considering the opening of another passport office anywhere in Ireland. I have asked for this matter to be kept under review.
