SF told ‘no need for Belfast passport office’
Sinn Féin has said its call for a Belfast passport office has been rejected by the Irish Government.
A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs explained that minister Charles Flanagan is satisfied with the currently available options.
It added that the vast majority of applications are made by post and said online renewals will soon be offered.
However the Dublin TD Séan Crowe said he is “disappointed” by the response and claimed it “misses the point of opening an office”.
Mr Crowe argues that the proposal would make “practical and logistical sense” and called for the department to review its decision.
He said: “People still have emergencies and need to travel or get a passport at short notice.
“This is when a passport office is vital.
A trip to the Dublin or Cork passport offices can take a whole day for someone in the north and it can be expensive.
“A passport office in Belfast would address a real demand.
“It would mean that people would only need to take a few short hours out of their day to get their passport needs sorted.”
The call has come amid an upsurge in demand for Irish passports in the wake of Brexit.
But in a statement, the DFA said it is “satisfied that the existing rage of service options meets the current needs of passport applicants”.
It explained that the ability to apply online, which is being made available as part of the Passport Reform Programme, will result in faster turnaround times for renewals generally, “even with the increase in applications expected from Northern Ireland in the years ahead”.
The statement added: “The vast majority of passport applicants on both sides of the border submit their applications through the Post Office networks on this island.
“This is the most efficient and cost-effective way to apply and documents can be submitted at 77 post offices in Northern Ireland.
“This means that no Irish citizen needs to travel a significant distance to renew a passport."
To accommodate a relatively small number of people with urgent or sudden travel needs, an appointment service is in operation in the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork.
It went on: “From early next year it will be possible for adults renewing their passports, whether they are based on the island of Ireland or overseas, to submit their application online.
“This will greatly improve convenience and efficiency and applicants in most cases can avoid having to travel to a Passport Office, or indeed a Post Office.
“The Passport Service plan to have the on-line service available across the full range application types, including first-time applicants and children, by 2019.”