Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2022
97. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent of the backlog in foreign birth registrations; the steps that are being taken to address the backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25081/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.
The processing of Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) resumed in November 2021 and will be gradually scaling up in line with the recruitment of additional resources.
A major recruitment drive has been underway over the past several months, which has seen the number of Passport Service staff increase by over 300 since June 2021. The Passport Service is currently running its own recruitment competition for Temporary Clerical Officers. This recruitment effort will bring staffing numbers to over 900, which represents a doubling of staff compared to June 2021.
There are currently 37,000 Foreign Birth Registration applications on hand with the Passport Service. To date this year, the Passport Service has processed almost 5,000 Foreign Birth Registration applications.
Due to the complex nature of the FBR process, the large increase in applications received following the Brexit vote in the UK, and the pause in the Service due to necessary Covid-19 restrictions, applicants should allow approximately 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of FBR applications at this time.
FBR staff continue to provide an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Such applicants may continue to contact the Passport Service directly. For other applications, the FBR service operates a transparent general policy of processing applications in order of receipt.
My Department is fully committed to the continued allocation of additional resources over the coming period to assist with the processing of the Foreign Birth Registration applications currently on hand and the high volume of new applications anticipated this year.
