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For Written Answer on : 30/03/2023
Question Number(s): 174, 175 Question Reference(s): 15797/23, 15798/23
Department: Foreign Affairs
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
* To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of personnel employed in the Passport Office in March 2022; the number currently employed in the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– David Stanton T.D.
For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 30 March, 2023.
* To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport applications received by the Passport Office each month from September 2022 to February 2023 inclusive; the number of applications processed in each of those months; the current average processing times for each application type; the total number of applications currently awaiting processing; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– David Stanton T.D.
For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 30 March, 2023.
REPLY
The Passport Service is successfully meeting the current high demand for passports. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs. Over 275,000 passports have been issued to date in 2023. The busy season for passports in 2023 is underway, and demand forecasts indicate that the Passport Service will issue just under 1.1 million passports this year.
Thanks to significant investment by the Government and the dedicated work of the Passport Service staff, substantial improvements were made in 2022 and full, normal service was restored following disruptions to the service during the pandemic.
The Passport Service has implemented operational and staffing plans for 2023 and as a result it is successfully meeting demand.
My Department has run 16 competitions since 2021 to address staffing needs in the Passport Service and another is currently underway. Adequate staffing remains a priority and recruitment will continue in the coming months. Additional office space on the Balbriggan campus provides over 200 additional workstations to accommodate the increase in staff numbers. This brings the total capacity of the Balbriggan campus to 500 workstations. In March 2022 there were 727 staff in the Passport Service. There are currently 828 staff in the Passport Service.
Currently, 100% of calls are being answered by the Customer Service Hub and the staffing plan for 2023 aims to ensure that excellent customer service is maintained during periods of peak demand.
There are currently 69,850 fully complete applications in the Passport Service system. There are a further 68,925 applications that are awaiting further action by the applicant.
The current processing times are as follows:
- Online simple adult renewal – 10 working days
- Online child/complex adult renewal – 15 working days
- Online first time application, adult or child – 20 working days
- Post Passport via An Post, adult or child – 8 weeks
The number of passport applications received by the Passport Service in each month from September 2022 to February 2023 are outlined below in tabular form, along with the number of applications processed in each of these months.
| Month | Applications received | Applications processed |
| September 2022 | 62,899 | 81,018 |
| October 2022 | 57,756 | 66,225 |
| November 2022 | 57,363 | 64,049 |
| December 2022 | 44,797 | 38,280 |
| January 2023 | 148,703 | 100,778 |
| February 2023 | 116,531 | 106,559 |
I am confident that the staffing and accommodation measures implemented, along with other improvements, will continue to have a positive impact on passport processing times for 2023.
