A senior official described the delays in passport applications for people born outside Ireland as awful.
The delay is currently more than two years, said John Conlan, head of operations at the Federal Foreign Office (EDA).
According to RTE, he also told the Public Accounts Committee that nearly a third of those who had offered temporary administrative positions in the department turned them down.
The national broadcaster reports that Conlan, who is also deputy secretary-general of the FDFA, said there have already been four recruitment rounds this year, but there is a 30 percent “turnover rate” for positions offered.
People seem to be getting better deals, he said, adding that the passport office currently has 846 employees.
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