Irish embassy in London ‘stretched’ with number of passport applications

THE Irish embassy in London has warned it is “stretched and working under pressure” with insufficient staffing levels to meet the soaring number of passport applications.

In an Irish Times report, a Freedom of Information request revealed the level of stress the embassy in London is under due to passport demand.

In 2015 the embassy received 46,000 passport applications, but there were 91,000 in the 11 months up to last November.

It received more than 55,000 email queries, the documents show.

One official wrote in an email that “extensive media coverage of Brexit” is adding to the embassy’s workload and that requests from the Irish community in Britain were increasing.

Sinn Fein Senator Niall O Donnghaile said the Irish government must address the significant pressure.

“Over 84,000 people from the north and in Britain applied for an Irish passport in 2018 — the government predicts that over 800,000 people could apply in the next five years,” he said.

Pressure: Niall O Donnghaile

“As a result, passport office and embassy staff, who do a fantastic job, are under significant pressure and major stress.

“This was confirmed in a warning from the embassy and further exposes the gap in services through failure to open a passport office in the six counties.

“An Taoiseach has said the people of the north will never be

Number of passport applications received by Irish embassy in London

in the 11 months to last November left behind again — then now is the time to invest and provide the infrastructure required to meet growing demand.”

Elsewhere, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs predicted 800,000 could apply for Irish passports over the next five years, with a possible 300,000 this year alone.

The Irish Mail on Sunday reported the ‘Brexit effect’ was likely to see the highest figures this year, but 2019 could also see 199,000 applications before a drop off in 2023.

An estimated 2.1m people are said to be eligible for an immediate application, with 800,000 in Britain and 1.3m in Northern Ireland.

The department’s forecast added that another 1.2m UKborn citizens lived in other EU states and it was likely a proportion would seek an Irish passport.

The spike in demand means the department is planning new accommodation for offices in Cork and Dublin as well as hiring over 250 new staff.

This includes 20 staff who would be needed to oversee the ‘integrity’ of the passport system is upheld, as well as appeals staff for refused applications.