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

Budget 2016 is a positive budget which is testament to the progress we have made as a country over the last few years, coming through a most difficult time for many people, to a position where we can now introduce measures to provide relief for people, increase and enhance services and support our ongoing economic recovery. In the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, budget 2016 provides a modest amount of funding for key strategic activities which are centred on better meeting the needs of Irish citizens at home and abroad and supporting the world's most vulnerable people in the way we always have done. I take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the dedication of the staff of the Department who, like their colleagues across the public sector, have worked tirelessly, relentlessly and flexibly to deliver services in very difficult economic times, working diligently to provide services to our citizens, to promote peace and reconciliation on our island, to project our values internationally and to strengthen our influence internationally, including within the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and at the United Nations.

Irish diplomats have also played an important role in driving Ireland's economic recovery through our trade division at home in the Department's headquarters and in our mission network around the world. That network has expanded in recent years with new offices in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. The Export Trade Council, which I chair, brings together key Departments, State agencies and representatives of the private sector to maximise opportunities for Irish exports, attract inward investment and tourism and build international partnerships in fields such as education and more.

This work complements the very successful annual action plan for jobs model pioneered by my colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, which has helped deliver 125,000 jobs since the first action plan in 2012.

Ultimately, our focus is on jobs for people here at home and creating a sustainably healthy economy that will allow the Government to provide more and better public services. Budget 2016 as a whole is focused on providing relief and better services for the people through steps like the cut in the USC, more nurses and doctors for the health service, more affordable and quality child care and ending the unfair treatment of the self-employed. All are sensible and affordable steps that will keep the recovery going and bring benefits to even more households. In line with Government policy, budget 2016 provides opportunities for my Department to deliver more for our citizens and for the most vulnerable people around the world.

Last week I launched the passport card, the first of its kind in the world. The card was introduced to offer a more convenient way for Irish people to travel and it is now accepted in 31 countries throughout Europe. Innovative Irish technology companies were involved in its design and the ease of application for passport holders, through an application or online, has generated over 6,300 applications since its launch less than ten days ago. Through budget 2016, I will continue this process of passport reform and modernisation. The demand for passports continues to grow with increased travel and our expanding population and the use of the passport as an identity document. Passport entitlement decisions are becoming more complex due to the wider diversity of family situations and changes to guardianship provisions. We also face a continued serious threat from sophisticated fraud and attempts at identity theft. Coupled with these challenges, the expectations of citizens in terms of the efficient, flexible and timely delivery of public services has grown, and rightly so.

Our passport service needs to respond fully if we are to continue to deliver the highest levels of customer service and maintain the integrity and excellent international standing of the Irish passport. We have made great strides. Our passport book meets the highest international design and security standards and turnaround times for passport applications have improved. All that said, the technology which underpins the passport service is over ten years old and can no longer be considered sufficiently flexible to adapt to the changing needs of the service. Nor is it adequate for future needs. The reform programme, to which we are allocating €4 million under Vote 28 in 2016, will see new technologies radically re-shape how passports are delivered over the next three years. The result will be a more streamlined system to process passport applications, including online renewals, and a stronger focus on first-time applicants and areas that are potentially vulnerable to fraud. It will also ensure a more seamless and consistent service for citizens wherever they apply for a passport around the world. An efficient passport service is essential for every country and particularly so for Ireland, which is so interconnected globally. This ambitious reform programme aims to deliver a more citizen-focused service and build on the integrity of the Irish passport for the benefit of all.

An aspect of the work of my Department and its missions that is usually necessarily under the radar is the consular assistance which we provide to over 1,600 Irish citizens and their families each year. Very often, these sensitive cases involve death, arrest or hospitalisation overseas. This year, we were all proud that our diplomats provided the best of service to citizens in the worst of circumstances during multiple consular crisis situations. From the heartbreak of the balcony collapse in Berkeley to the terrorist atrocities in Tunisia and the aftermath of a horrific earthquake in Nepal, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has always sought to respond to tragedy with quick, compassionate and effective consular assistance to those impacted and their families. This is a commitment to serving our citizens of which we can rightly be proud, but we must ensure that we can sustain this quality in the face of new global challenges. To do so we need to review our delivery and reform where necessary.

With more Irish people travelling to less secure parts of a volatile world, we have to expect additional demand for consular assistance in non-traditional geographic locations and on increasingly complex issues. We will use our budgetary allocation to reinforce our consular crisis response capacity, to better communicate with Irish citizens travelling abroad and to develop innovative ways of providing advice and services quickly to those who need help most. My colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, will address the House on his priorities for 2016. I am very pleased that budget 2016 will see this Department maintain its steadfast support for Irish community groups in very many corners of the world through €11.6 million in funding under the emigrant support programme. The Minister of State will address this area in greater detail and I would like to take this opportunity to commend him for his passionate and energetic approach to his Ministry. I can think of no better person to fill the role of the State's first ever Minister with special responsibility for diaspora affairs.

I am proud that this budget confirms clearly that international development and the fight to end global poverty and hunger are firmly at the heart of Ireland's foreign policy. The Government has committed an additional €40 million for ODA in this budget, a significant 7% increase. This funding will go, inter alia, towards addressing the very serious humanitarian crisis we are facing in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Sean Sherlock, will address this area in greater detail shortly. I commend the Minister of State, not only for his work in overseas development aid on a continuous basis, but also for his resolve in attending the talks in Northern Ireland on very delicate and sensitive issues.

I commend budget 2016 to the House. I look forward to my Department continuing to deliver crucial services to the Irish people and playing our part in sustaining and enhancing our economic recovery in the best interests of all our citizens.

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