Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 April 2018
186. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures being adopted to escalate the processing of passport applications; if the passport services made available to Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas to facilitate passport representations are still valid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15792/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe quickest and easiest way for an adult to renew a passport is to apply online. These passports are being turned around in 10 working days or less, plus postage time. This service is currently only available for adults renewing their passport but it is planned to extend this service to other renewal categories by the end of this year.Renewals applications, through Passport Express, are now processed in the target timeframe of 15 working days. I have allocated additional resources to the Passport Office to ensure that the target processing times continue to be met, and customer support provided, as we enter the peak summer season. The number of Full Time Equivalent staff permanently employed by my Department and assigned to the Passport Service stood at 322 at the beginning of the year. This compares to 310 Full Time Equivalent staff assigned to the Passport Service at the same point last year. In addition, over 20 additional permanent staff have been assigned to the Passport Service in 2018. In addition 220 Temporary Clerical Officers have been assigned to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork. Targeted overtime was also sanctioned in recent weeks for both temporary and permanent staff to help deal with high application volumes.
The continuous implementation of service improvements has also been central to my Department’s response to increasing application volumes. The Passport Reform Programme is delivering major upgrades to the passport service technology platforms and business processes as well as significant customer service improvements.
The Department currently has a dedicated channel of communication for Oireachtas representatives and my office is the dedicated point of contact for public representatives. This ensures consistency, efficiency and fairness in responses to the queries of all public representatives.
I am grateful to Deputies for their continued assistance in advising constituents to visit the Passport Service’s webpage on my Department’s website (www.dfa.ie/passport) before applying and to sign up for our passport renewal reminder service at www.eforms.gov.ie/en/reminder/passport/.
