Lengthy queues for non-EU visitors are creating a bad experience for tourists coming into Ireland, a senior civil servant has warned.
RTE News has reported that documents released under Freedom Of Information showed that people were forced to queue for up to one hour and 20 minutes at immigration control, as the service is inadequately staffed, according to John Fearon, assistant secretary for the Department of Transport and Tourism.
Passport control, which is currently controlled by the Garda National Immigration Bureau, was subject to long delays in the summer bank holiday weekends last year. However the Bureau is currently hiring 80 civilian staff to deal with delays in the busy periods.
Fearon urged the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to deal with the issue before the busy summer period, reminding the body of the demands they put on US officials to promptly handle emigration for Irish citizens.
"It is difficult to continue to negotiate this service when the reciprocal arrangements, including that for inbound US visitors, are open to question," said Fearon.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that although there are periods when queues spike, this only affected about ten per cent of visitors and the vast majority are dealt with in one to ten minutes.
