What does a Donegal person who needs a passport do? Most go straight to their TD or senator and ask for one.

The ledgers of the special-passport facility for Oireachtas members, which have been released to The Sunday Times under the Freedom of Information act, show that up to one-third of all applications are from Donegal.

The controversial scheme, which lets people skip the normal two-week wait at the Passport Office, is being reviewed by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It will say in a couple of weeks whether the back-door, fast-track scheme is to continue.

Last year 6,200 passports were issued through the special facility, which allows TDs and senators to put applications from their constituents into a drop-box in Leinster House. The papers are picked up by ushers, brought to the Passport Office across the road, then dropped back in a few days. TDs and senators then give the passports to their constituents.

The facility came to light only earlier this year when it emerged that Bertie Ahern, then the taoiseach, had secured a fast-track passport for Norman Turner, a Manchester businessman, in 1994. It emerged that the secret facility had been set up that year in response to public anger about delays and queues at the Passport Office. These have long since disappeared, but the facility remains.

The Department of Foreign Affairs would not compile a list of how often each TD uses the scheme, but instead released manual ledgers from the Passport Office’s Oireachtas desk between 2005 and 2007.

Analysis of one month’s applications — from June 9, 2005 onwards — finds that the most frequent users were Pat “the Cope” Gallagher, who made 93 applications, followed by Mary Coughlan, another Donegal TD and now tanaiste, who made 88.

Other representatives from the county also used the fast-track facility, including Dinny McGinley (19 times) and Joe McHugh (25 from Mary Harney, 18 from Tom Kitt and 17 from Dick Roche. On one day 11 passport applications came in from one TD — Seamus Kirk from Louth.

Fianna Fail TDs used the scheme much more than all the other parties put together. Enda Kenny and Phil Hogan of Fine Gael, who both criticised Ahern for getting Turner a passport, used the scheme five and three times respectively in that month.

Oireachtas members accounted for most applications, but the facility was also used by Garda HQ (12 times), the Office of Public Works (7), the ESB (4) and SDLP members (9). Since 1998, everyone in Northern Ireland has been entitled to an Irish passport.

Gallagher yesterday defended the scheme and said he has made a submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ review group urging its continuation.

“It’s only used in extenuating circumstances, by people who need a passport quickly,” he said. “You have to have proof of travel, and if the application has to be processed within two days, an additional charge of ¤50 is applied on top of the usual ¤75.

“These are cases where people discover that their passport is out-of-date, or that their child is on their passport, which is not allowed any more. It’s a good service and I wouldn’t abuse it. Some people can need passports urgently if there’s a death or sickness in the family and they need to travel abroad.”

He pointed out that Irish people now need identification to travel to Scotland or England, and most choose a passport. “I think it’s only fair that the system should be able to accommodate people who need a passport at short notice,” he said. “That may not happen in other countries, but why do we need to be the same as other countries?”

Senator Francis O’Brien from Monaghan, a frequent user of the scheme, said some parliamentarians get a reputation for helping to secure passports then tend to get asked more frequently. “It’s a service that I value for my electors,” he said. “I can help people, just to speed the thing up.”

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