Northern Ireland

Demand for Irish passports continues to rise

More than 47,000 people from the north applied for an Irish passport this year
More than 47,000 people from the north applied for an Irish passport this year More than 47,000 people from the north applied for an Irish passport this year

THE number of Irish passports requested by people from Northern Ireland has more than doubled since the EU referendum.

Figures released in response to a Dáil question to Tánaiste Simon Coveney show that 47,645 applications for passports were made by people from the north this year so far, compared to 20,325 during the whole of 2015.

Mr Coveney said hundreds of thousands of Irish passports have been issued this year.

In a recent written Dáil reply to Fine Gael TD Hildegarde Naughton, he said more than 490,000 passports have been issued since January.

Applications for Irish passports from people living in Britain and the north has surged since the UK voted in 2016 to leave the European Union.

This year alone, 31,099 applications were made from people in Britain, compared to 6,011 in 2015.

The Irish government has said it will cover the costs of the European health insurance card (EHIC) and Erasmus university scheme for Irish citizens in Northern Ireland as part of its commitment to north-south cooperation.

A record 860,000 Irish passports were issued last year but that number is expected to rise this year.

The figures prompted Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile to call again for an Irish passport office in the north.

"The passport staff deliver a world-class service but as Niall Burgess, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, admitted they are struggling under 'unprecedented demand'," he said.

"The Irish Government should invest in a northern office to support staff and services and meet this unprecedented demand."