Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 May 2022
135. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are plans to increase the number of staff answering passport telephone queries from members of the Houses of the Oireachtas in advance of the summer 2022 season given that it is already extremely difficult to get through to obtain information for persons who are experiencing delays in obtaining passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23540/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the high volume of applications being submitted to the Passport Service, a temporary phone line was established in October 2021 to respond to Oireachtas Members' queries on urgent passport cases.
In each case raised by an Oireachtas Member, the Passport Service reviews the application in question. However, applications can only be expedited in cases of genuine emergency such as a need for urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad. Such applications are expedited through the Travel Emergency service.
In cases where the estimated issue-by date has passed and all required supporting documents have been submitted, the Passport Service will prioritise the application to ensure that no further delay is experienced.
My Department has made an unprecedented level of investment in the Passport Service in terms of additional staff and improvements to the passport and customer service systems.
The Passport Service is proactively managing the current demand for passports and has put in place resources and structures to address the estimated significant increase in demand for passports in 2022 in this essential citizen service.
In terms of staffing, the Department has been working with the Public Appointments Service on a major recruitment drive over the past several months. Since June 2021, over 300 members of staff at all grades have been assigned to the Passport Service.
In addition to this, and to complement staffing recruitment through the Public Appointments Service, the Passport Service is running its own recruitment competition for Temporary Clerical Officers with a view to assigning additional staff and to maintain staffing levels throughout the year to meet the demand expected in the coming months. This competition is currently underway and once completed, will see staffing numbers of over 900 at the Passport Service, which represents a doubling of staff numbers since last summer.
In April, the volume of queries to the Oireachtas line increased by 20% to over 3,300 cases. An average of 66 members of the Oireachtas called the line each day in April. Each call can handle up to 5 queries.
The Passport Service is developing an online portal that will allow Oireachtas Members to query the status of passport applications on behalf of their constituents.
The testing element of this project is yet to be completed. Once the online portal is finalised, the Passport Service expects to roll it out over the summer of this year.
Passport applicants can also track the status of their passport application online via the Passport Tracker which is available on my Department's website - www.dfa.ie/passporttracking/
