The Irish Passport Office has temporarily suspended posting passports to Northern Ireland and Great Britain due to the Royal Mail strike, it has emerged.
oyal Mail workers across the UK are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
There are no Irish Passport Offices outside of the Republic, so passports are posted from Dublin to Northern Ireland, Great Britain and elsewhere.
Last week it emerged that the number of Irish passports issued in 2022 was the highest on record at 1,080,000, surpassing 935,000 passports in 2019.
A total of 1.15m applications were received by the Irish Passport Office in 2022, with 100,000 coming from NI and GB.
Early last year there were reports of severe delays in applications being processed due to the increasing number of people applying, among other issues.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said in October that it is “very hopeful” those problems would not be repeated.
Now, it has emerged that the Royal Mail strike has impacted the Irish Passport Office posting passports and documentation.
“We will keep this under review. In the meantime, all passports and documentation will be stored securely with the Passport Service in Dublin,” a notification on the office’s website reads.
“If you have applied for a passport or are awaiting the return of documentation and you need these urgently, please contact the Passport Service on +353 1 671 1633.”
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said that, while the striking Royal Mail workers have his party’s “full solidarity”, the situation once again illustrates the need for an Irish Passport Office in Northern Ireland and “the need to invest in a robust postal service to deliver important documents”.
“I am concerned at the disruption this decision could have for those currently waiting on passports who have holidays or other travel arrangements in the near future and would hope that every allowance would be made to help those who find themselves in this difficult position,” he said.
Mr Durkan said his party has been campaigning for an Irish Passport Office to be established here for “many years”, believing “the benefits are clear, particularly in light of the increase in applications in recent years”.
“I hope the Irish Government will take a serious look at the proposal to ensure that every person on this island can avail of this service in a timely manner,” he said.
In May last year, it emerged that in 2020, for the first time, the number of Irish passports issued to people in Northern Ireland surpassed the number of those who opted for a UK passport.
A total of 48,555 people in Northern Ireland applied for a UK passport in 2020, compared to 48,911 who applied for an Irish passport.
Since last August, more than 100,000 postal workers across the UK have been taking industrial action in stages, with six days of strikes having taken place in the run-up to Christmas.
Members of the Communication Workers Union has led a series of recent walkouts, which Royal Mail claims have cost the organisation more than £100m.
