Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Passport Office, the officers of which are absolutely brilliant. I do not know why people still wait until the last minute to renew their passports and book their tickets and hotel accommodation only to get to the airport and find their passports are out of date. I was only let down once by the Passport Office and acknowledge that its staff do excellent work. I welcome the proposal to provide for online renewals. Most people have a car and they receive a letter or an e-mail to advise that their motor tax is due for renewal. There is an e-mail address for every passport holder and an e-mail could be sent every ten years to warn people that their passport will soon go out of date and advise them to renew it.

There are proposals for works on properties abroad, including security works. Perhaps the Minister might elaborate on them a little. Embassies and other buildings need to be continually upgraded. Are there proposals to open new embassies, given that Britain is due to pull out of the European Union? The British Government looks after some of our interests in some countries. How will this pan out in the future? Will the arrangement continue or is it being proposed to open new embassies?

The Minister said the Government hoped to keep an invisible border with Northern Ireland. Will this just involve a discussion between the British and the Irish or will the European Union have a say on what will happen on the Border? It is a decision that should be left to us alone, the European Union should have no say.

Have any discussions taken place between the Minister, the Minister of State and the British Foreign Secretary? How will that matter be dealt with? It is crucial for us to have an invisible border there.

I will put the question on the Irish Cultural Centre in Boston to the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, as the funding of projects abroad come under his remit. I will await his proposals in that regard.