HORSE Sport Ireland issued over 7,000 passports in 2022, a record year for sport horse foal registrations, the organisation said this week.

In a press statement issued yesterday, HSI said it has extended its opening times for phone queries and has invested in customer service to increase passport turnaround times. The statement came amid much adverse social media comment on passport issues.

HSI Chief Executive, Denis Duggan, said: “2022’s foal season has been the busiest to date for the organisation, with an incredible 7,337 foal passports issued as the registration team went above and beyond to process applications. We also want to acknowledge and thank those breeders who support our services for their continued patience as we continue to improve our overall service delivery.

“The number represented a rise of 60 per cent on the previous year, and 40 per cent on equivalent periods, while passport processing times reduced by 56 per cent in the second half of 2022. This is thanks to process improvements having a positive impact and supply chain issues experienced in prior years have reduced.

“In November, HSI processed 1,516 foal passports, the highest quantity of any month in over seven years and, furthermore, over the last two weeks issued over 600 passports per week, also greater than any week in over seven years. This is equivalent to about 21% of the annual number of foals registered with HSI. Passport turn-around times from receipt of valid applications, through to DNA Testing, and completion of the passport is on average between four and five weeks at present.

“I want to acknowledge our own staff in the Horse Sport Ireland, each of the passport registration team have embraced many changes and created changes during the course of this year. These positive results for breeders are the culmination of their collective efforts and those changes.”

HSI stated the number of phone calls serviced has increased from 68 per cent to 92 per cent since October. Opening times have been extended until to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Waiting times on the phones have also been reduced by 55% with average waiting times now below 90 seconds.

HSI plans to introduce the next frontier in equine pedigree verification by making the transition to SNP DNA profiling, with more information set to be released in January.

HSI Operations Manager, Paul O’Connor, said: “There has been exceptional progress in recent times within Horse Sport Ireland’s Studbook and Registrations Service. Having recently joined Horse Sport Ireland, I have been impressed at the commitment and dedication shown by the team. While a lot has been done to improve the service this past year, we have a lot more to do to achieve our ambitious objectives of quicker turnaround times of passports and improved customer satisfaction. I am excited to lead the Department towards these objectives and working closely with our service users and stakeholders to fulfil our goals.”