I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that a project to investigate options for the civilianisation of the immigration registration function outside of Dublin commenced this year. This follows on from the successful civilianisation of the Dublin Registration Office and on going work to streamline processes, including the introduction of online appointments systems and the integration of other work streams such as re-entry visa processes.
As part of this wider project, when options are developed for extension to regional offices, it is planned to commence by way of a pilot project later this year. The pilot will inform the plans to civilianise the function nationally.