Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Brady. I think we are heading towards a conclusion. I thank the Tánaiste for his answers to date.

I join Deputies Brady and Clarke in raising the passport issue. For Siobhán Byrne and her team last year was obviously a most eventful one. As part of our outside engagement we had a field trip to the Passport Office and undoubtedly it was an urgent political priority when it came to our work as a committee and to the constituency work of most, if not all, Members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. We had a very positive and comprehensive briefing and we saw first-hand the huge work under way under the bonnet, if you like, in the Passport Office. I am pleased to note there is a further level of investment this year in the context of the national development plan. It is a major investment in the future of the passport service and the replacing of what is described here as the core technology. All this is very positive. I acknowledge the work of the Minister's team in challenging circumstances and the progress that has been made.

This brings me to part B of the matter, which is the one raised by Deputies Brady and Clarke, namely, foreign birth registration. It has been an issue that has gone under the radar where our work is concerned. I was surprised to note a volume of 35,000 for 2022. I cannot recall what the figure was five or ten years ago but is it true to say the trends with registration are very stark? It has become an issue. While the timeframe has been reduced considerably from two years to one, a year is still a long time.