David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State was talking about passports. The Passport Office has a fantastic service, way better than previously now that it is online. I stress the need to avoid people having to travel to the Passport Office. There are emergencies and so on but any way a person can be facilitated and not have to take a day off work to travel to Dublin with all that entails would be great. If that was stressed as a policy of the office, it would enhance it further.

The Minister of State mentioned preclearance for Dublin and Shannon. We should start talking at some stage, given the pressures on Dublin Airport, of having preclearance for Cork as well, maybe with a view to flights from Cork across the Atlantic.

The Chairman mentioned Perth. I think it is the most remote city in the world and the furthest from any other city, but there is another city which is quite remote and covers a huge amount of territory, namely, Calgary in Alberta. We have fantastic staff in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and so on but the centre of Canada is vast. There is much industry there. I think Calgary is the third largest city in Canada and we do not have a footprint there. I ask the Minister of State and his officials to look at that. I mentioned in the enterprise committee that Enterprise Ireland and IDA might look at that vast area in the centre of Canada. People there do their best and work hard but a footprint on the ground might be helpful.

I ask the Minister of State to comment on his own brief of diaspora affairs. We have emigrant support programmes and then diaspora affairs. Will he outline what is happening with the diaspora and what positive work he is doing with the €1.1 million they are getting?

Will he give us an update on what the €2 million International Fund for Ireland will be used for?