Sinn Féin Councillor Colly Kelly has taken the next step in his party’s campaign to have an Irish Passport located in North with the option of Derry City being the location.
Sinn Féin Councillor Colly Kelly said “Recently at Derry and Strabane District Council, I successfully got passed a motion calling for Irish Passport service provision in the North.
Figures from the Passport office show that there was over 82,000 applications made in the last year by Irish Citizens in the North of Ireland. This has caused considerable pressure on the system and has resulted in applicants waiting long periods of time on Passports.
"I have now formally requested a meeting with Tánaiste Simon Coveney along with representatives from Derry Sinn Féin and Seanadóir Niall Ó Donnghaile and officials from his Department to discuss the possibility of opening a Passport office in the North.
"It is the opinion of my party that this problem could be resolved by opening an office in the North, especially given the possible impact that Brexit will have on Citizens in the North. The Irish Government must continue to protect the rights of Citizens in the North as enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement, namely the right to hold an Irish Passport. It would be my opinion that a perfect location for this office would be in Derry.
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