Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses this morning. We heard from the previous witnesses, particularly Mr. Kenny Moore. He spoke about passports in America and Canada, coming back here, the difference and how we learn. That was a major issue for me. The other issue is the timescale. This is all technical and we are learning from this. My biggest fear, and I have learned this through politics and life, as I believe all of us have, is that when one is dealing with three or four different Departments, it is an absolute nightmare. One is going from the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Department of Justice to the Department of Health and to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. While there is no question that everybody is doing their best, it becomes a huge issue. One Department will take a lead on this and another Department will take a lead on that. Then one is in a situation where unless it is led by one particular area, it just does not work. I have found over the years with different issues that it becomes a major barrier. One Department will blame another Department regarding the timescale while another will say the person filled the form wrongly or that it does not go to that Department or it is all online. It does not work.

For us and the Government to succeed on this legislation we must have one Department to lead it, be it the Department of Justice, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or whatever. What do the witnesses see as their biggest hurdles when they are trying to work within the remits of different Departments? Sometimes when one is dealing with Departments, one probably does not know who one is dealing with because people come and go and switch and swap. I always find that to be an issue. I believe we need to have a designated two or three people who can lead this. There must be a specific area where anybody who wants that information is able to get it quite quickly. Dealing with passports and other information is very sensitive. We are dealing with very sensitive information here. We are dealing with people's lives and how they are affected. That is my biggest concern with this.

We must make sure we all work together on this. There has been delay over the years. One thing I have learned from meeting the witnesses over recent weeks is that their stories are heartbreaking. They want the system right. They want to be able to have legislation from which they can work. They do not want to do anything wrong. They just want to have a system that fits and is right, and we are not delivering on that. We are failing badly here. Those are my concerns from today, and perhaps the witnesses can respond to me. Again, I know everybody is doing the best they can within their Departments, but when it happens that one is dealing with so many Departments, it just does not work. There were a few questions there if the representatives of the different Departments wish to take them.