Sir, – I read with disbelief Carl O'Brien's report on the queuing system at the Garda National Immigration Bureau ("A day in the life at the State's immigration offices", November 17th), where foreign nationals are required to get in line at the crack of dawn in order get a numbered ticket which will enable them to have the privilege to pay the Government the sum of €300 to apply for or to renew on an annual basis their GNIB registration card.
Despite the response by the Minister for Justice and Equality in relation to Dáil questions in relation this situation, in which it was claimed in June that an online appointment system was being planned, the situation has appeared to have worsened.
In an age in which Ireland boasts of being Europe’s technology hub, how difficult is it and how long does it take to set up an online booking system? To put things in perspective, my 10-year-old car, which requires an annual NCT at €55 a go, gets much better customer service than these foreign nationals. All I have do is to log on to the dedicated website, book a date, choose a time slot that suits me and my car, and so long as I arrive on time, the whole process takes less than an hour! – Yours, etc,
PATRICIA CRAVEN,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.