asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he intends to take to end the unacceptable delays at the Passport Office, Dublin 2, in particular to prevent people having to queue for lengthy periods for service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The queues to which the Deputy refers arose mainly in May and June when the receipt of a record 59,100 passport applications coincided with a postal strike in the Dublin area and its aftermath. To deal with these queues the following steps were taken: The staff of the Passport Office was increased by a further 15 per cent in addition to the normal summer intake of extra staff bringing the number employed to nearly 120. Overtime was worked for several weeks. The office was open until well past normal working hours to take care of those who applied in person. The media were kept informed of the situation and of the steps taken in an effort to avoid people queuing unnecessarily.

Despite the unprecedent demand and the pressure to which the system was subject, all normal passport applications were processed within seven working days and no intending traveller was disappointed.

I do, of course, regret the queues that appeared during the period in question. However, I am satisifed that all was done that could have been done by the Passport Office to cope with them. I would make the point that an Irish passport is a valuable document of identity which can only be issued following careful checks on identity. It would not, I believe, be in the interest of the Irish public to sacrifice security for speed or otherwise put at risk the integrity of the Irish passport. For this reason a passport cannot simply be available on demand except in the case of a genuine emergency which will always be dealt with quickly and sympathetically.

Having said that I would repeat the appeal the former Minister made some months ago that all those who intend holidaying abroad this year or for that matter any other year, should check that they have an up-to-date passport and, in the event that they do not have one, they should apply in good time by post.

I accept that the staff of the Passport Office are doing a good job in the circumstances but the question related to the queues. My information is that the queues continue to be up to two hours even up to today. What increase in staff does 15 per cent constitute? Secondly, if nothing can be done to prevent our young people leaving the country in such numbers, could we at least take some steps to cause normal toilet facilities to be provided for the people who must wait in these interminable queues?

I will do the percentage sum for Deputy Rabbitte from the answer I have already given him. There was a 15 per cent increase in staff and the number employed now is 120.

What does that mean?

If there was a 15 per cent increase and that gives you 120 you can work from that. As a matter of fact, it is slightly less than 15. We are not getting into the mathematics of the percentage of increase——

Let us hear the Minister out.

In reply to Deputy Rabbitte, I feel he should understand that the suggestion in his supplementary question that all these passports were issued to young people emigrating is not one I accept, so I just put down a marker for that. I use the words, "holidaying", "holidaymakers".

Are there any old age pensioners in the queue?

Thirdly, in regard to the final part of Deputy Rabbitte's question, space is insufficient in the present Passport Office to permit the provision of public toilet facilities. That is the reality. What we can do about it I do not know. Right now there is no space there. Does it mean shifting to a new building? Can we get a new building? There are a number of problems there.