DARRAGH O'BRIEN TD
  • HOME
  • About Darragh
  • News
  • Parliamentary Questions
    • Housing, Planning & Local Government PQ's
    • School PQs
    • Foreign Affairs PQS
    • Oral Questions
  • Newsletters
  • Videos
  • PHOTOS
  • FIANNA FAIL
  • CONTACT
  • DATA Protection Statement

Parliamentary Questions

Processing time for the passport applications

23/2/2017

 
To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current processing times for the passport service; the steps that have been taken and the resources allocated to deal with the increased demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien.

REPLY

As the Deputy will be aware, last year just over 730,000 passports were issued.  This represented an increase of over 9% on the year before and demand continues to be very strong so far this year. 
Notwithstanding these pressures renewal applications submitted through Passport Express continue to be processed within the fifteen working day target.  Some categories, such as first time applicants, take longer because of additional anti-fraud measures for example first-time applicants are advised to allow twenty working days [current turnaround time is 19 working days].  
As the Deputy will readily appreciate, it is very important that citizens use the right channel when applying for a passport.  There have been a number of cases in recent times where applicants have used Passport Express despite their travel plans falling within the processing period for their passport – and I know that people in this category frequently contact my office and those of other Deputies.  Where applicants are travelling in less than 15 working days, the best course of action is to make an online appointment at the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork. There are a limited number of appointments available daily in both offices.  I appreciate the assistance of Members of these Houses in promoting good practice and I’d like to thank the Deputy in this regard.  This week I will again circulate a note on good practice to Oireachtas Members.
Significant customer service improvements that are being rolled out as part of the Passport Reform Programme will assist in managing growing demand.  In particular the new online service for adult renewals to be launched in the coming months will result in reduced turnaround times for applicants and significant efficiency gains for the Passport Service.   
In the immediate term and to respond to the seasonal demand and the more general increases, a total of 230 Temporary Clerical Officers have been recruited into the Department.  Over half of these Officers are already in place and most others will join by early March. They are assisting permanent staff with passport entitlement checking and customer care, including by responding to queries received via phone calls, emails and social media.
The Passport Service will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure the effective deployment of staff resources and to minimize the impact of the high demand on turnaround times and on customer service. The need for additional resources will be kept under review.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    PQs

    All Parlamientary Questions I make and their answers can be viewed in this section

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Darragh O'Brien TD


Address

Darragh O'Brien TD
Leinster House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2

Telephone

T:  01-6183802

Email

At present, and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am not holding my regular meetings across our towns and villages in North County Dublin. However, both I and my office are happy to speak to you and assist you with any issues you may have.

For all housing, planning or heritage related queries please don’t hesitate to contact:
Email: minister@housing.gov.ie
Phone: 01-8882000
Postal address: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Custom House, Dublin 1, D01 W6X0
 
For all constituency related queries please don’t hesitate to contact:
Email: Darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie
Phone: 01-6183802
Postal address: Dáil Éireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
 



  • HOME
  • About Darragh
  • News
  • Parliamentary Questions
    • Housing, Planning & Local Government PQ's
    • School PQs
    • Foreign Affairs PQS
    • Oral Questions
  • Newsletters
  • Videos
  • PHOTOS
  • FIANNA FAIL
  • CONTACT
  • DATA Protection Statement