Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2022
566. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the average waiting time for a regular passport in the State; the longest waiting time for a passport in 2022; the number of staff who are working in the Passport Service; the number of passports that it has processed this year; and the average waiting time for a diplomatic passport. [28984/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra632. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the complaints procedure regarding issues and delays in relation to passport applications (details supplied); and the contact details for those applicants who wish to make a complaint. [29382/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra651. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has put in place additional supports for the welfare of staff at the Passport Office and the Oireachtas passport helpline due to the volume of applications and queries they have to process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29536/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra708. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the average number of Passport Office staff working from home; the average number working in the office for each of the Passport Offices for each month of 2022 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29825/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra828. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff in his Department who have been allocated to the passport section; the number of staff allocated to the Passport Office in each of the years since 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30561/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 566, 632, 651, 708 and 828 together.
The current processing times for passports are outlined below:
- 10 working days for Simple Adult online renewals
- 15 working days for Complex or child online renewals
- 25 working days for First Time Applications on Passport Online (for applications received from 6 June)
- 8 weeks for An Post’s mail-in “Post Passport" service
The vast majority of applications are processed within these turnaround times. Turnaround time applies to fully complete and correct applications, and begins from the date that supporting documents are received by the Passport Service, not the date the online application is made. Applications that are incorrect or incomplete will take longer to process. Since March of this year, the Passport Service has been operating a new document management system whereby incomplete applications that require further supporting documents are prioritised once the additional documents are received by the Passport Service. These applications are then processed within 15 working days.
An application is current in the Passport Service system for a period of 6 months from when the online application is made. From the time that the supporting documents are received, the Passport Service works with the applicant to process the application and ensure all required documents have been submitted to prove the applicant's entitlement to Irish citizenship, to verify their identity, and in the cases of children, to ensure that consent of guardians is verified. In a small number of cases, it can happen that all required supporting documents are not received by the Passport Service during the 6 month validity period. In such cases, the application will expire and a refund will issue to the applicant.
The Passport Service is already out-performing any previous year, despite the challenges that it has encountered over the past two years. The Passport Service continues to outperform its previous busiest year (2019) by almost 20%. Over 600,000 passports have issued to date this year. This is 83,000 more than the number of passports issued during the same period in 2019.
Diplomatic passport applications are usually processed within 10 working days of receipt of supporting documents. 10 working days is the standard turnaround time for adult renewal applications. Diplomatic passport applications are similar to simple adult renewal applications in that the applicant must hold a current valid Irish passport or have an application for passport renewal in the Passport Service system.
The Passport Service has a formal comments and complaints procedure in place to allow customers an opportunity to give feedback on the quality of the service they receive. The Passport Service is committed to providing a high quality, effective service to all of our customers and welcomes feedback on how the service can be improved. All feedback is dealt with in confidence and in an impartial manner.
Customers can submit a complaint in writing to: Passport Complaints, Knockmaun House, 42-47, Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, D02 TN83.
The Passport Service aims to resolve complaints as promptly as possible. Each complaint is examined upon receipt and acknowledged. The complaint will then be investigated and a response issued in writing.
If customers remain unhappy with the response, they can refer their complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Further details of the Passport Service complaints procedure can be found on the DFA website - www.dfa.ie/about-us/our-commitments/passport-complaints-and-appeals/.
The Passport Service has reminded staff on the Oireachtas phone line to advise representatives of the postal address for submitting complaints, if requested.
My department provides a Wellbeing at Work programme and runs a schedule of bi-weekly events, both online and in person, to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues and to support them in achieving their potential. This Programme consists of the following pillars; Mental, Physical, Social and Environmental. Recent events include a talk on 'Positive Mental Health', Meditation for Wellness classes, Staff Relay Series and ‘Thriving in the Age of Digital Distraction’.
The Civil Service Employee Assistance Service (CSEAS) provides an internal employee assistance programme to all Civil Service staff and is designed to assist employees to manage work-related and personal difficulties. It is a free and confidential service providing support to staff and promotes employee wellness and organisational effectiveness.
The Passport Service recognises its staff as a valuable resource and my Department aims to maintain a resilient workforce by promoting positive wellbeing in the workplace. There has been an ongoing recruitment drive in the Passport Service over the past several months to ensure resourcing needs are fully met. Most recently the Passport Service held a Temporary Clerical Officer competition with a view to doubling staffing numbers since June of last year. To date the Passport Service has taken on over 400 new staff since June 2021. There are currently 762 staff in the Passport Service.
In order to protect the integrity of the Irish passport, the processing of passports requires physical attendance on-site. Passport Service staff who are processing applications or in customer service roles cannot work from home. The overwhelming majority of Passport Service staff work on-site every day. Staff who are not involved in the processing of applications, and who are eligible to work from home, (approx 2%) can do so for up to 50% of working time over a four week period, with anchor days built in, while also retaining flexibility for in person attendance required for meetings, training, key events and other priorities.
The information requested by Deputy Richmond is outlined below in tabular form.
Staff assigned to the Passport Service
|
Year |
Number of Passport Service staff in month of May |
|
2015 |
456 |
|
2016 |
519 |
|
2017 |
565 |
|
2018 |
574 |
|
2019 |
646 |
|
2020 |
646 |
|
2021 |
454 |
