THE PASSPORT Office needs additional full-time and temporary staff to meet an increasing demand, a review of the service has found.
The review by Labour Relations Commission head Kieran Mulvey showed up to 20 additional clerical officers were necessary in the office, while two additional staff officer posts were required to undertake supervisory duties.
It said additional personnel at executive officer/higher executive officer level were needed in the office in both Dublin and Cork to replace departing staff.
The review recommended 50 temporary clerical officers should be recruited this year to deal with the annual seasonal surge in demand. It was carried out after the controversial dispute at the Passport Office last year which resulted in disruption to services and saw large groups of people queuing outside its main premises at Molesworth Street in Dublin.
It added the allocation of overtime, if necessary, “shall be at management’s discretion and should be balanced and considered in the context of the additional staff resources recommended”.
Mr Mulvey recommended reforms to the “work/life balance scheme” allowing staff a shorter working year. The review said it was causing rostering difficulties on the public counter at Molesworth Street. The report said 18 clerical officers were availing of the shorter working year scheme – six on a week on/week off basis, four working mornings only, seven on a four-day week and one on a three-day week.
The review said the Passport Service last year processed over 675,000 applications – an increase of over 5 per cent from 2009.