Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 July 2025
149. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of staff in the passport service, by role, by year, for the years 2020 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44419/25]
View answer150. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the expenditure on staffing of the passport service in the years 2020 to date, by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44420/25]
View answer151. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the estimated cost associated with increasing staffing levels in the passport service by 10, 50 and 100 WTE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44421/25]
View answer152. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the WTE equivalent within the passport service, by location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44422/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 149 to 152, inclusive, together.
The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports and has issued over 615,000 passports this year to date.
Each year, the Passport Service engages in comprehensive workforce planning, based on forecasted passport demand. The Department’s Management Board formally approves staffing requirements for the upcoming year. As a result of this proactive approach, the Passport Service is well-positioned to meet forecasted demand for the remainder of the year.
Adequate staffing in the Passport Service to respond to demand continues to be a priority for my Department in 2025 and is an issue that is kept under constant review.
My Department is implementing this year's staffing plan so that excellent customer service is maintained throughout periods of peak demand and is continuing to work to increase resources within the service.
Table 1 below outlines the annual number of staff by grade from 2020 to present.
Table 1 - Passport Service Staff by Grade 2020-Present
|
Grade |
31-Dec-20 |
31-Dec-21 |
31-Dec-22 |
31-Dec-23 |
31-Dec-24 |
30-Jun-25 |
|
Grade |
31-Dec-20 |
31-Dec-21 |
31-Dec-22 |
31-Dec-23 |
31-Dec-24 |
30-Jun-25 |
|
PO and Equiv. |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
AP and Equiv. |
7 |
11 |
11 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
|
AO and Equiv. |
2 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
HEO |
23 |
21 |
28 |
34 |
33 |
34 |
|
EO |
76 |
80 |
77 |
108 |
105 |
104 |
|
CO |
358 |
351 |
354 |
444 |
466 |
466 |
|
SVO |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
TCO |
0 |
148 |
266 |
190 |
180 |
231 |
|
Total |
468 |
617 |
742 |
792 |
800 |
851 |
The payroll costs incurred by my Department in relation to staffing in the Passport Service, for the years 2020 to 30 June 2025, are outlined in Table 2 below.
Table 2 – Payroll Costs for Passport Service
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2020 |
€19,882,953 |
|
2021 |
€18,508,734 |
|
2022 |
€28,726,609 |
|
2023 |
€30,869,253 |
|
2024 |
€32,876,278 |
|
2025 (to 30 June) |
€20,034,389 |
With regard to the Deputy's question on increasing staffing levels in the Passport Service by increments of 10, 50 and 100, the costs are outlined in Table 3 below. These costs are based on the salary costs associated with Clerical Officers (COs), Executive Officers (EOs), and Higher Executive Officers (HEOs) on the mid-point of the scale and include the employer's PRSI contribution costs. The management structure outlined in the table correlates to the ratio of managers to staff typical in the Passport Service. These costs do not include additional costs that would be incurred by an increase in staff, including accommodation, utilities and equipment costs.
Table 3 – Estimated Salary and PRSI Costs of Additional Staff
|
Number of Additional Staff |
Salary and PRSI Costs |
|
10 (9 COs, 1EO) |
€448,018.08 |
|
50 (43 COs, 6 EOs, 1 HEO) |
€2,280,236.17 |
|
100 (86 COs, 12 EO, 2 HEOs) |
€4,560,472.34 |
Table 4 shows the staff within the Passport Service, by the three locations of the Passport Offices: Balbriggan; Cork; and Mount Street, Dublin 2.
Table 4 - Passport Service staff numbers by location
|
Office |
Total |
|
Balbriggan |
474 |
|
Cork |
114 |
|
Mount St, Dublin 2 |
263 |
|
Total |
851 |
