Opinion

Government plan is needed to end passport application chaos

Several times over the last number of years I have called on the Irish government to intervene and end the huge backlog of passport applications currently in the system – thousands of people are presently in a queue, waiting for an Irish passport.

I am making that call once again.

My ask of the government is two-fold: change the application process – for many first time applicants and those applying for young children, it can be a dysfunctional and prolonged experience; and open a new, dedicated passport office in the north.

It has been clear for many years now that there is a real need for an Irish passport office here in the north – it is simply common sense and grounded in a clear and ever-growing demand, not least post-Brexit. The latest information obtained under freedom of information shows that for the first time ever more people in the six counties have applied for an Irish passport than for a British one.

This is indicative of the increasing upswing in applications coming from the six counties and proves the need for the Irish government to invest in infrastructure that is accessible to local people on the ground, where they need it most.

An additional office in the north will help streamline the application process for many people and give them access to a place where they can have face-to-face contact, advice and support when issues arise with their application.

The problems currently being faced by applicants is not with office staff. There’s no question that they are doing a mighty job under severe pressure. The problem lies with the government who are refusing to act decisively, with the required changes, to end this chaos for those seeking passports and those working in the passport office.

At present we are seeing a huge backlog and a significant volume of applications going through the system. There is every chance that this will only continue to increase.

So, the Irish government needs to act, needs to ensure that service delivery and office infrastructure is available to people where they need it so they can meet the demand and help clear the backlog.

The chaos in the passport application system must end and the government must introduce a plan to end it.

SEANADÓIR NIALL Ó DONNGHAILE


East Belfast

Any NHS reforms are far too late

The DUP sent me a summary of their intentions(Jeffrey’s plan for NI) to carry out reforms – one of which refers to the NHS, especially nurses’ pay, etc. These reforms are far too late for those who have died while waiting for referrals – I have been waiting more than seven years for my routine cataract operation, but it won’t kill me. So, why has it become a priority for the DUP now, after years of DUP rule? The mobile nurses that I deal with are having their car mileage reviewed by union representatives and management, on whether their mileage allowance is enough – which at present stands at 56p for the first 3,500 miles, reducing down to 20p until the end of the financial year. These nurses should have better reps, demanding  £1 per mile for the year, no ifs, no buts. The mileage added to these cars means more servicing, more wear and tear on the vehicle, and a lower part-exchange rate when the car needs to be replaced. By the way, Sinn Fein sent no election literature. When Mary Lou McDonald had a clear-out of Martina Anderson and others, she shouldn’t have stopped there. Michelle O’Neill is an unknown quantity, so what are we to expect if she gains top spot?

EDWARD MURPHY


Ballycastle, Co Antrim

Identity or citizenship?

I suggest that Patricia MacBride (May 5) omits a distinction between identity and citizenship. I first acquired an Irish passport in 2016 after the Brexit vote. I was very happy to be included as a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, although I did not live within its legal jurisdiction.

However, accepting my second citizenship with gratitude did not make me Irish as I understand its common usage. I have no affiliation with the GAA; I do not speak the Irish language; I was not educated within the maintained sector. My perception is that to be Irish is to be ethnically Gaelic.

For Ireland to be united, rather than just borderless,  it is vital that non-Gaels are not second-class citizens. There are many conflicts around the world between two or more identities within a single jurisdiction, as indeed there has been in Northern Ireland. The debate around a border poll must address what would form the cultural identity of the new Irish.

JEREMY EVES


Bangor, Co Down

Polling stations are not 'neutral'

With posters and activists at some entrances, polling stations are not ‘neutral’.  In elections run by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, polling stations and their precincts, up to 50 or 100 metres from the entrance, are neutral. Furthermore, in some jurisdictions, all campaigning stops, say 24 hours before polling day – but not here. Indeed, it continues, even on polling day, with party activists crowding some of the polling station entrances. This would never be allowed in an OSCE-run election. In some polling stations, polling agents have been recording the identities of voters. This is legal, but shouldn’t be. Furthermore, it too would never be allowed in an OSCE-run election. So why do the polling agents do this?  Because then sometimes, they pass this information to the activists at the entrance.  This is illegal, even here... but ‘it happens’. The activists outside can then round up any ‘stragglers’ - folks who have not yet voted. In other words, some people are using the inside of polling stations to further their political campaigning. This is only horrible.

PETER EMERSON


Director of the de Borda Institute, Belfast BT14