There are calls for a new passport printing office to be created to ease the waiting period

This initiative would be very welcome.

Jerry Buttimer, Cork Senator and Fianna Fáil Leader of Seanad Éireann, has called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to create a dedicated passport printing service in Cork. At present, there are Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork however passports are only printed in the capital. During a debate at Seanad Éireann, he said that "while the staff in the passport office in Cork and the Department are extremely helpful and efficient in these situations", 70,000 applications were delayed in March of this year. “There are two passport printing facilities in the State; both are in Dublin and this is not acceptable." He adds: "Since 2017, 800,000 passports have been issued but all have been printed in one central location in Balbriggan. The figures from March show that there has been a backlog, in some cases of 70,000 applications." Buttimer continues: "It is important to recognise that more and more people are travelling. The recession has ended and people are applying for passports. There are more first-time applicants, more young families travelling with children. Therefore, there is a need for a passport printing machine in Cork in order that we can ensure expeditious processing and printing of passports and that we can reduce the turnaround time for applicants. There should be a passport printing machine in Cork because, as the Minister of State knows, it is not just about Cork but it is about the province of Munster and the hinterland. This will make it easier for everybody, including the staff and for those travelling abroad." https://twitter.com/jerrybuttimer/status/1006584065607262209