Passport Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I appreciate the points the Deputy made but we have to balance things as well. We have a really efficient office at the moment where we know that so far this year 97% of citizens in the North are applying through the online system. When we look at the overall figures, if 1% is using the counter service, it amounts to 496 - just under 500 citizens - that are using the urgent appointment service and the in-person service.
The argument that the Deputy makes is not around distance because if a person is in Galway and they have to travel to Dublin or Cork, they probably have a longer distance to travel than if they were in the North. However, we also have to look at what we are investing in terms of the overall costs. We have had many discussions on this floor around making sure that anything we invest in is sufficient. For example, if we put up an office, the operational costs for 100 staff or so is estimated to cost approximately €6.8 million per annum. That is potentially for the 469 customers who would be applying and availing of this appointment service in person, so we have to balance all of this out.
We have an Oireachtas line, as I told the Deputy's colleague when I engaged with them this week. We have a line where Deputies and colleagues can deal directly with the service if there are queries that our constituents raise. I am happy to look at whether it or something similar could be made available to colleagues in the North and to see if we can have that direct line. However, this is about making sure that our focus is on prioritising how we can do things more quickly and efficiently, and that there are efficiencies in terms of cost overall, but most importantly that everybody has access to the same type of service on an all-island basis. That is what I am determined and committed to do.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21