Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I apologise for the absence of my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, who has had to travel north to a meeting this evening with Northern Secretary of State Peter Hain.

During the tenure of the rainbow Government our passport system was allowed to deteriorate to a wholly unacceptable level. To produce just over half of the number of passports which we will issue this year, the public was subject to queues and lengthy delays on a daily basis. The hallmark of the Irish passport system when the parties opposite were last in Government was queues around the block at Molesworth Street and down Kildare Street. Many in this House would have witnessed those queues on their way in and out of Leinster House week after week.

This Government set about repairing this unfortunate situation. This has been done with success and with value for taxpayers' money. Our automated passport system fully meets all international specifications, is widely regarded as one of the most secure in the entire world and has been described by the US administration as absolutely superb.

The system was never estimated to cost €3 million or €13.5 million. All assertions to that effect are totally without foundation or substance and the parties opposite are well aware of that.

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