‘Political’ passports should be scrapped

THE recent controversy over the help given by Bertie Ahern to Norman Turner in obtaining a passport has revealed the existence of a separate service operated by TDs for their constituents.

I understand they collect passport documents from constituents and deposit them in a drop box at the Dáil enquiries desk.

They are then collected by courier and taken to the Passport Office where they are processed at a specially designated desk. A number of civil servants are on call to deal with any problems or questions that may arise.