Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
142. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of additional staff that have been hired in 2018 on a temporary basis in the passport service; the number of permanent staff that have requested parental leave for May to September 2018, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30282/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Passport Service monitors the volume of applications on an ongoing basis to ensure that staff resources are available to meet demand. In order to respond to anticipated application increases and to seasonal demands, the Passport Service has recruited 214 Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) so far this year. These TCOs have been appointed to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and 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. Additional measures taken by the Passport Service to address seasonal demand include the use of targeted overtime for all Passport Offices and the redeployment of experienced staff from across the Department to processing applications and responding to customer queries. Furthermore, the number of Full Time Equivalent staff permanently employed by my Department and assigned to the Passport Service has increased this year. Over 30 additional permanent staff have been assigned to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork since the beginning of the year.
A total of 18 staff members in the Passport Service made requests for parental leave in 2018 for the months May to September. Parental Leave provides unpaid time off work to care for a child or make arrangements for the child’s welfare. The duration of leave periods can vary from hours to months. Staff must submit their parental leave requests 6 months in advance of their leave date.
