Mrs. Una Fannon:

To come back on the issue of the emergency travel certificate, ETC, process from the point of view of parents and our experience of how long it can take and so on, a large volume of our applications came through Ukraine, for example, prior to the war breaking out. We had a resident embassy there, so applications were taking approximately three to six weeks to be processed following the birth of the child. There are several documents that cannot be put together until the child is born. We are also dependent on the authorities in Ukraine, or any other relevant country, their processes and how long they take. It was taking approximately three to six weeks after the baby was born in that jurisdiction. As we mentioned, if it is a new jurisdiction where we have not previously had an ECT application, it can take considerable time to put the process in place and ensure all the documents meet our standards. It is important that parents engage in the process early. We often only hear about the birth after the fact. The parents may be in-country and waiting for the baby but we may not hear about it until after the fact. I know the parents get legal advice locally and here in Ireland, as they ought and as we advise, but they should do a lot of research into what is involved, speak to others who have been through the process, be aware of what is involved and be prepared for the level of paperwork and the time it might take. Some parents are not aware of what is involved once the baby is born. From our point of view, it would help to manage the work on our side if parents were fully aware of the situation.