LIMERICK should have its own passport office in the new Henry Street Foreign Affairs Office, says Deputy Michael Noonan.
Peter Power, who is Junior Minister for Overseas Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs, heads up the Limerick Office since it was opened as part of the decentralisation programme.
“And now that we have an established Foreign Affairs office in Limerick, there seems to be no reason why a passport office cannot be opened in the same building,” said Deputy Noonan.
According to the Fine Gael TD “It makes no sense whatsoever that people from the immediate Limerick area and the Mid-West Region in general, should have to travel to Cork or Dublin to get a passport.
“We have an International airport within 10 miles of our city and there have been cases in the past where people travelling from Shannon have had difficulties with loss of passports prior to departure, or discover that passports are out of date a day or two before travelling.
“Having a Limerick passport office would be of great convenience to the people”
“We all are aware that having a passport processed in either the Dublin or Cork offices can take more than a day to complete, and often the person applying has to stay overnight,” he concluded.
