Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The €12 million is for the fit-out of existing and new properties overseas. I would not agree at all that the staff is light. In fact, there has been a very significant expansion in numbers working in our missions. We have grown the missions. We always seem to have contradictory discussions about the public service. Sometimes we say we are spending too much and we do not get value for money. Genuinely, one of the good aspects of the Department of Foreign Affairs and our embassies is the efficiency and leadership at embassy and mission levels. It is quite efficient and we should keep it that way. We have expanded the numbers. In fact, I suspect the challenge in the opening of new missions will be there will be a stretch in experience to some extent and having enough experienced officials to man the leadership positions. I do not really think we are short. That is not what is coming across to us – that we are short staffed. I mention an emergency or a consular case. The Deputy is correct. Unlike most countries, our consular service is one of the best. We have a 24-hour duty officer. If anyone is in any difficulty, they should ring the duty officer who will contact the relevant embassy and so on on behalf of the person or of representatives of the Oireachtas. Generally, it gets a good response. Sometimes the ambassador, a counsellor or someone in the embassy may contact you directly to bring you up to date in respect of a situation pertaining to a person.

I find the response of our people exceptional. I know the Deputy does too and he has said that. It is a very good expression of our service to the public and the Irish citizen no matter where they are when they get into difficulty and so forth. The numbers working in the Department of Foreign Affairs overall have increased, both in missions and fairly significantly in the Passport Office.

The Passport Office is an exceptional service. The online service is dominating traffic now in terms of engagement. We have systems for those who cannot do their business online. That is the reason we do not believe there is a need for new physical offices. If you apply online, it is nearly within 4 hours in some cases you will have your passport. People say this to me in disbelief. The Deputy is right. Some people will have genuine difficulties. They might not have seen the expiry date on the child's passport. We get those calls; I presume everybody does. Generally speaking, the Department or the Passport Office responds fairly urgently to them. There is the one day on which you can call into the office physically. That is facilitated in Dublin and to a certain degree in Cork. We will continue to try to improve it. Technology will bring more improvements. We have to renew the passport every ten years, as recommended by international security advisers. That is why we are doing the current revamp and the Irish wolfhound will adorn the new passport. It was the people's decision. I know the Deputy has been raising the issue about urgent cases. My sense is that we do respond well to the urgent cases.

On Ukraine, EUMAM is the training side and the Irish continue to work on that in training Ukrainian soldiers in respect of demining, combat medical and all that area as approved by the Dáil. As regards the war itself, it is not until Putin decides to withdraw, and there are no indications from President Putin that he wants peace right now. The evidence is that North Korean troops have now arrived into the battlefield, which is quite horrendous and shocking. That is not an indication of someone seeking a ceasefire. It is very grim for the people of Ukraine and it is grim for quite a lot of people living in Russia, particularly young Russian people who have been brought to the front line. The loss of human life in the form of soldiers on both sides is truly shocking. For some reason it does not get much coverage because it is kind of over there in the battlefield, but the number of young people who have lost their lives is enormous. They are fighting a war that has medieval, First World War, Second World War and 21th century technology all combined into one, which is leading to terrible loss of life and then horrendous destruction of civilian infrastructure, which has caused all the migration out of Ukraine. It is a horrible war. The European Union member states on the border are extremely worried because they are now witnessing hybrid attacks developed by the Russians on their territory, and an increasingly brazen type of hybrid attacks. They really fear the existential aspect of this war for them.