Written Answers Nos. 274-293
275. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport applications that have been received through the passport express service from January 2022 to date; the number that are waiting to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25859/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra276. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current turnaround time for processing passport applications made through the passport express service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25860/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra277. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the length of time that it is currently taking to process additional documentation for passport applications made through the passport express service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25861/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra278. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures that he is taking to address the backlog of processing passport applications that have been made through the passport express service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25862/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 275, 276, 277 and 278 together.
The paper-based, mail-in Passport Express service is available to citizens at almost 1,000 An Post post offices and at over 70 post office locations in Northern Ireland. The Passport Service also receives a small number of paper-based applications through our network of embassies and consulates across the world. All paper-based applications are processed through the centralised automated passport service system, regardless of the channel through which they are made.
The Passport Service has received 60,000 paper-based applications since 1st January 2022. Of these, 43,000 are Passport Express applications made by persons residing in the State.
There are currently 35,000 paper-based applications in the Passport Service system. Of these, 29,000 are fully complete and are being processed by the Passport Service. A further 6,500 applications are incomplete, which means the Passport Service is waiting on the applicant to submit required supporting documents.
The target turnaround time for Passport Express applications is 8 weeks. When an applicant is requested to submit additional supporting documents, these documents are prioritised upon receipt by the Passport Service, and the Passport Service then aims to process the application within 15 working days.
The Passport Service provides a range of channels to Irish citizens worldwide who wish to apply for a passport. These include a postal application system, online passport application service, in person counter application facilities at the passport offices in Dublin, Cork and London, and the network of Irish Missions worldwide.
Some 90% of all passport applications, including first-time applications, are now being made online. The Passport Service is committed to continuing to offer a range of application channels, including a mail-in, paper-based service for citizens who are not eligible or do not wish to use online passport services. Passport Online is the priority channel for applications as there are many efficiencies built into the system for the applicant and the Passport Service. The Passport Online service can be accessed by all first-time applicants, including children and adults, in over 50 countries worldwide. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world. Passport Online offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to four times faster than the paper-based passport renewal application system.
While there is a very high volume of applications in the Passport Service system, this does not represent a backlog. These applications are all being processed in the usual way, with a continuous stream of new applications and a continuous dispatch of completed passports happening every day.
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.
The Passport Service has been scaling up resources to deal with anticipated demand since June of last year. A major recruitment drive, in partnership with the Public Appointments Service, has been underway over the past several months. This has seen the number of Passport Service staff increase by 344 since June 2021.
In addition, the Passport Service is currently running its own recruitment competition for Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs). The interviews have concluded and TCOs recruited from this competition are being assigned on a weekly basis from Monday, 23 May. The first group of 20 new TCOs started work on Monday, 23 May. This recruitment effort will bring staffing numbers at the Passport Service to over 900 which represents double the number of staff with the Passport Service in June of last year.
Intensive training of new staff and upskilling of existing staff has been underway for several months to increase the resources that can process complex applications, such as first time child applications.
The Passport Service continues to implement further measures to deal with increased demand on its services:
- The Passport Service has a comprehensive plan to ensure that adequate staff, accommodation and technology supports are in place to meet expected demand for passports in 2022
- The Passport Service is prioritising first time applications and directing increased resources to processing these complex applications with a view to reducing the current turnaround time. Passport Service staff are working targeted overtime in this regard.
- The Urgent Appointment Service is available for customers who wish to renew their passport at short notice. Customers availing of this service can renew their passport within 1 or 4 days in Dublin, within 4 days in Cork and within 5 days in London.
- A new document management system was put in place at the beginning of March. This aims to improve the processing speed in the Passport Service offices, and subsequent turnaround times for the applicant. One particular feature of the new system improves the processing time for applicants who have been asked to submit additional documents. Once the additional documents are received, they are being prioritised and complete applications can then be processed in 3 weeks. This significantly reduces the processing time, particularly for first time applicants.
- Public information media campaigns reminding citizens to check and renew their passports will continue during this busy year.
- There is an updated Department of Foreign Affairs website, which includes a new passport service section where applicants can easily find out what additional documents are required for their type of application.
- The Passport Service is also working on public education materials, including video tutorials, with a view to assisting applicants to complete their application correctly. These videos will be shared on social media and will include instructions on submitting consent forms for child applications properly.
Since March of this year, the Passport Service has reduced the processing time for first-time applications from 40 working days to 30. This 25% reduction in processing times is a direct result of the substantial level of investment my Department has made in the service.
I am confident that the measures that have been implemented will help to reduce passport turnaround times in the course of 2022 and will assist the Passport Service in meeting the high demand forecast for this year.
I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply for their passports online in plenty of time.
283. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff working in the Passport Office each month since January 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25871/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra284. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are plans to increase resources in the Passport Office ahead of the summer holiday season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25872/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra294. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department will recruit more staff to deal with the influx of passport applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26012/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra315. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent staff currently employed in the Passport Office by role in tabular form. [26302/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 283, 284, 294 and 315 together.
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.
The Passport Service has been scaling up resources to deal with anticipated demand since June of last year. A major recruitment drive, in partnership with the Public Appointments Service, has been underway over the past several months. This has seen the number of Passport Service staff increase by 344 since June 2021.
In addition, the Passport Service is currently running its own recruitment competition for Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs). The interviews have concluded and TCOs recruited from this competition are being assigned on a weekly basis from Monday, 23 May. The first group of 20 new TCOs started work on Monday, 23 May. This recruitment effort will bring staffing numbers at the Passport Service to over 900 which represents double the number of staff with the Passport Service in June of last year.
Intensive training of new staff and upskilling of existing staff has been underway for several months to increase the resources that can process complex applications, such as first time child applications.
The Passport Service continues to implement further measures to deal with increased demand on its services:
- The Passport Service has a comprehensive plan to ensure that adequate staff, accommodation and technology supports are in place to meet expected demand for passports in 2022.
- The Passport Service is prioritising first time applications and directing increased resources to processing these complex applications with a view to reducing the current turnaround time. Passport Service staff are working targeted overtime in this regard.
- The Urgent Appointment Service is available for customers who wish to renew their passport at short notice. Customers availing of this service can renew their passport within 1 or 4 days in Dublin, within 4 days in Cork and within 5 days in London.
- A new document management system was put in place at the beginning of March. This aims to improve the processing speed in the Passport Service offices, and subsequent turnaround times for the applicant. One particular feature of the new system improves the processing time for applicants who have been asked to submit additional documents. Once the additional documents are received, they are being prioritised and complete applications can then be processed in 3 weeks. This significantly reduces the processing time, particularly for first time applicants.
- Public information media campaigns reminding citizens to check and renew their passports will continue during this busy year.
- There is an updated Department of Foreign Affairs website, which includes a new passport service section where applicants can easily find out what additional documents are required for their type of application.
- The Passport Service is also working on public education materials, including video tutorials, with a view to assisting applicants to complete their application correctly. These videos will be shared on social media and will include instructions on submitting consent forms for child applications properly.
Since March of this year, the Passport Service has reduced the processing time for first-time applications from 40 working days to 30. This 25% reduction in processing times is a direct result of the substantial level of investment my Department has made in the service.
I am confident that the measures that have been implemented will help to further reduce passport turnaround times in the course of 2022 and will assist the Passport Service in meeting the high demand forecast for this year.
I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply for their passports online in plenty of time.
The number of staff working in the Passport Office each month since January 2021 is outlined below in tabular form.
Passport Service staff numbers by month
|
Staff Numbers by Month |
2021 |
2022 |
|
January |
477 |
726 |
|
February |
470 |
730 |
|
March |
468 |
726 |
|
April |
466 |
705 |
|
May |
465 |
725 |
|
June |
463 |
|
|
July |
463 |
|
|
August |
482 |
|
|
September |
502 |
|
|
October |
519 |
|
|
November |
569 |
|
|
December |
617 |
|
The number of Passport staff by role are outlined below in tabular form. Of the total 725 staff, 636 are full-time staff and 89 are part-time.
Passport Service staff by role
|
Principal Officer |
1 |
|
Counsellor |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal |
8 |
|
First Secretary |
2 |
|
Third Secretary |
3 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
23 |
|
Executive Officer |
78 |
|
Clerical Officer |
356 |
|
Temporary Clerical Officer |
253 |
285. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the process that Dáil Deputies should follow in respect of making representations to him regarding expediting passport applications; if he or his officials have communicated the process to officials in the Passport Office; the extent to which officials who work on the Houses of the Oireachtas representation phone line are aware of the process given that inconsistent information is being advised to Members by officials in respect of queried applications; and the steps that he is taking to ensure that accurate and consistent information is communicated. [25876/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra311. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent staff members currently working on the Oireachtas passport query telephone line. [26298/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 311 together.
Members of the Oireachtas, as elected representatives, can make formal representations to me in relation to the passport applications by submitting enquiries directly to my office.
In addition to this formal representation channel, in October 2021, the Passport Service established a temporary phone line to respond to Oireachtas Members' queries on urgent passport cases.
In each case raised by an Oireachtas Member, whether it be as a formal representation or a phone call through the Oireachtas line, 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.
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/. The information on the tracker has recently been upgraded, and is an excellent guide as to where an application is in the system.
Passport Service staff on the Oireachtas Line receive comprehensive general Passport Service training, as well as customer service training. Staff provide assistance within the agreed parameters as set out in my communication to Oireachtas colleagues on 19 October 2021.
Staff on the Oireachtas Line continue to work productively under increasing pressure. They are dealing with record numbers of calls and queries every week and have handled over 12,200 queries from Members since the beginning of this year.
The Passport Service Oireachtas Line team currently consists of one team lead and six customer service officers.
289. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the selection process for a recent diplomatic corps appointment (details supplied). [25905/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra290. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a recent diplomatic corps appointee (details supplied) has a diplomatic background; if they have sat diplomatic exams; and if they speak European languages other than English or Irish, as is usual in the diplomatic corps. [25906/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra291. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will address a matter related to a recent diplomatic corps appointment (details supplied). [25907/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 289, 290 and 291 together.
The Government nominates officers for Ambassadorial posts on foot of proposals made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The nominated Ambassadors are subsequently appointed by the President and take up duty abroad following the receipt of agrément from the receiving State. Only serving civil servants are considered for ambassadorial assignments.
In considering the nomination of Ambassadors, a range of factors is taken into account including political, economic and trade priorities. In addition, management experience, regional knowledge, country knowledge, relevant language skills, policy experience, consular experience, and other factors are considered as part of the assignment process.
The practice of successive Governments has been to nominate Ambassadors who are established civil servants in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Occasionally a Head of Mission, be that Ambassador, Consul General or Permanent Representative, may serve as Head of Mission on secondment to the Department of Foreign Affairs from another Government Department. In addition, a number of former and current Heads of Mission have been seconded to other Government Departments in line with the Secondment Policy for the Civil Service.
Assigned Ambassadors, and all other officers taking up diplomatic posts overseas, undertake a significant programme of pre-posting training to complement their existing skills and experience and prepare them for their assignments in Ireland’s missions overseas.
Successive Governments have acknowledged the wealth of experience offered by our civil servants and I am confident that each Head of Mission taking up duty this year is qualified for the office they are assigned to and will make an excellent contribution to the promotion of Ireland’s interests and values overseas.
The investigation referred to by the Deputy is not a matter for my Department.
292. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if additional staff will be immediately deployed to the Passport Office customer service and webchat sections given the extreme difficulties passport applicants are having communicating with the Passport Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25911/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra312. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent staff members currently working on the passport query telephone line. [26299/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra313. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent staff members currently working on the passport webchat service. [26300/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 292, 312 and 313 together.
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.
The Passport Service has been scaling up resources to deal with anticipated demand since June of last year. A major recruitment drive, in partnership with the Public Appointments Service, has been underway over the past several months. This has seen the number of Passport Service staff increase by 344 since June 2021.
In addition, the Passport Service is currently running its own recruitment competition for Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs). The interviews have concluded and TCOs recruited from this competition are being assigned on a weekly basis from Monday, 23 May. The first group of 20 new TCOs started work on Monday, 23 May. This recruitment effort will bring staffing numbers at the Passport Service to over 900 which represents double the number of staff with the Passport Service in June of last year.
The Customer Service Hub will be the initial priority for allocation of new staff at the Passport Office in Mount Street. The Passport Service Customer Service Hub officers respond to customer queries by phone and webchat as well as with enquiries related to Emergency Passport cases. The Customer Service Hub handled over 175,000 enquiries in 2021 and is currently handling over 6,000 customer contacts each week. During times of high demand, there can be delays in getting through to a service agent due to the high volumes of enquiries. The Passport Service webchat is also operational and customers should refresh the page if the icon is grey. A webchat operator is available when the icon is green.
Staff in the Customer Service Hub continue to work productively under increasing pressure. They are dealing with record numbers of calls and webchats every week, handling an average of 1,200 queries per day. Newly assigned TCOs are being directed to the Customer Service Hub as a matter of priority.
The staff in the Customer Service Hub consist of nine team leads and 40 customer service officers. Each week there are 6 teams on the phones and 2 teams on webchat.
The Passport Service will continue to consider ways in which to enhance the customer experience for citizens.
I am confident that the recruitment of additional staff, along with significant training initiatives, will have a positive impact on our response to customer service demand.
Question No. 293 answered with Question No. 263.
