Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2020
15. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the Passport Office will resume handling normal passport applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11662/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra16. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which his Department will deal with the backlog of passport applications due to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11712/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra22. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when passport express services via post offices are expected to resume; the processes in place available for those seeking to renew or submit passport applications; and the proposals in place to provide an update on applications submitted prior to the Covid-19 emergency. [11914/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra25. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the Passport Office will be reopened for applications and urgent passport appointments; and the length of time an applicant will have to wait to receive a passport from the original date of application. [12046/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra29. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when normal service including public opening will resume at passport offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12220/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 16, 22, 25 and 29 together.
Once the potential impact of COVID-19 became obvious, contingency planning commenced to minimise the impact of restrictions on the delivery of passport services. In particular, plans were put in place to ensure that we continued to provide an emergency service for the issuance of passports, for both children and adults, in cases of serious illness or death abroad. Our Customer Service team was available to deal with emergency passports issues during weekdays, while an out of hours duty officer was available at all other times. The Passport Service also assisted those whose applications were regarded as urgent. While staff were on site during the pandemic, carrying out this necessary work, they also produced approximately 6,000 additional passports. The additional passports were adult passport renewal applications received online which required minimum staff intervention.
In addition, as part of the response to the crisis, personnel from the Passport Service have been and will continue to be redeployed into other essential public service roles, such as assisting the HSE with contact tracing and facilitating the payment of social welfare benefits for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
The Passport Service has now started a phased return to full operation. This planning is in line with the wider Government plan to reopen in phases. The Passport Service resumed the processing of non-essential online applications in Phase 2 of the Government Roadmap and produced over 26,000 passports in the first two weeks of operation. The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we believe that we are well-placed to ensure the online service will be meeting its usual turnaround times of approximately two weeks by the end of June.
Given the logistical complications of processing of paper applications via Passport Express, this application channel will resume later in the summer. The Passport offices will also reopen to the public later in the summer. Passport Online expanded in 2019 to include first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Europe. Irish citizens, including children, can also renew their passports online 24/7, from anywhere in the world. The Passport Online service has won awards for its user-friendly process, including a NALA award for the use of plain English. If an applicant is not familiar with using a computer, a friend or relative with basic computer skills can help them to apply online. Passport Online can also facilitate social distancing, given that a renewal application for an adult does not require the signature of a witness.
