Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
153. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the €1.5 million allocated to passport service and consular operational costs as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the €1.5 million allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds have been spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24322/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe expenditure of the additional allocation to the Passport Service is in line with profile and is expected to be fully expended by the year end.
There has been a strong increase in demand for passports due to a variety of factors including a general increase in the number of Irish residents travelling abroad, a growing population, as well as a significant rise in application numbers from Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Total demand in the first four months of the year was up 8% on last year.
The continuous implementation of service improvements has 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 Passport Service received sanction this year for 220 Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) for appointment to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork. All TCOs in this intake have been fully trained and placed since March. These TCOs are working together with permanent staff to process passport applications and to deal with the high number of enquiries being made through the Passport Service’s various customer service channels.
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 2018, an increase of 12 compared to 2017. In addition, over 30 additional permanent staff have been assigned to the Passport Service since the beginning of 2018.
