Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

It would help if the Minister of State said the Department of Foreign Affairs would examine those caught in the transition and make efforts to get the HSE to clear this up so that there is not an unnecessary delay in the cases being processed.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is the protector of the quality of the relationship with the other side in international agreements. We must be careful that the interlocking of two administrative systems does not give a delay that creates the problem for people caught in the transition. The efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs in untangling this quickly would be valuable.

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