WEST Belfast People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has called for urgent action from the Irish government to address passport waiting lists.
Mr Carroll says his Falls Road office has been inundated with panicking constituents raising concerns over their own passport applications.
“Over the past year my West Belfast constituency office has seen a huge increase in residents waiting a long time for new Irish passport applications, long past the expected delivery date," he said.
“Understandably, it is very stressful for families to wait in hope of a passport arriving at the eleventh hour, having applied months previously. Many are left in a panic about whether they will be able to travel on time, or at all, and what this might cost them.
“There is obviously high demand after Covid, and with the uptake after Brexit, but the main issue seems to be a lack of staffing to properly deal with demand. This highlights the need for the Irish government to invest in this service, and to establish services in the North as people are currently forced to travel to Dublin to get answers about their application."
Mr Carroll called on the Government to "act urgently to address this situation".
"As this cost of living crisis continues, people are having to think hard about what they can afford and the threat to holidays which have been saved for is unnecessarily and punishingly stressful.
“People Before Profit will continue to raise these issues going forward, and my West Belfast office is available to provide help to anyone dealing with individual application issues. You can contact us on 02890 231628.”
