A total of 2,268 Galwegians are still waiting for their passport applications to be processed as the passport service deals with the Covid backlog and the recent surge in applications.
According to figures revealed to the Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, John Brady, some 112,000 applications remain outstanding, with 2,268 applications from Galway still to be processed.
Sinn Féin Galway East representative, Louis O’Hara, said the fault lies not with staff, but with the Government, for failing to put adequate support in place.
“There can be no doubt as to the effort the staff and management are putting in to deal with both the backlog accrued over Covid, and the deluge of applications coming forward - the peak period for passport applications,” he said.
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Mr O’Hara [pictured above] noted that passport service staff “work long hours, and in some cases, on Saturdays and Sundays to attempt to deal with a growing workload”. However, he said that, pre-Covid there was a core staff of approximately 450 in the passport section, which was increased during the peak period by a total of 200 to 650 staff.
“At present, staff numbers are significantly reduced, with only about 500 personnel in total being left to deal with demands,” he said. "We need the Government to ensure that there are sufficient staff on hand to deal with demand at this time. The responsibility lies with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, and he must act accordingly.”
