Passport applications backlog eases

The backlog of passport applications that arose following industrial action by civil servants over pay cuts has declined slightly over the past two weeks.

There are currently 65,651 passport applications waiting to be processed, compared to 69,400 on April 27th, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Processing time for applications is now averaging 22 working days, as against 15 working days at the end of last month.

The department had previously advised that approximately 4,100 people were applying for a passport on a daily basis. It said an error compiling these data meant incorrect figures were given in mid-April and the actual number of daily applications is 3,200.

A spokesman for the department said there has been no increase in the number of applications in recent weeks. However, the department advises it is still not possible to guarantee a turnaround time for processing applications at present.

Approximately 2,900 passports are being processed per day at present the department said, unchanged since mid-April.

When asked about the anomaly between the number of applications received and processed, the spokesman said that an ending to an overtime ban by the Civil, Public and Service Union (CPSU) had helped to speed up the processing of forms. However, he said the union ban on the hiring of temporary workers and a 20 per cent increase in passport applications compared to the same time last year was responsible for the delay in fully clearing the backlog.

The Passport Office processes 650,000 applications every year, according to the CPSU.

Early last month the union lifted an overtime ban put in place at the beginning of March as part of the industrial action over pay cuts.

The decision to lift the overtime ban will allow staff at the Passport Office carry out additional work on overtime to deal with the backlog of applications which built up over the industrial action.

Holidaymakers are currently advised to check passport expiry dates before making plans and submit an application in sufficient time before the intended date of travel.