Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Deputy's kind words. I will be more than happy to convey his very kind and well-received remarks directly to Mr. Austin Gormley in the passport office and his team. I acknowledge that they work very hard in challenging circumstances. It is not often that the House is witness to kind remarks of the type we heard from Deputy Healy-Rae. I take them as they were given, namely, in very good faith.

I wish to underline that there is no need for concern about current freedom of movement or entitlement to an Irish passport. The process of negotiation to enable the United Kingdom to leave the European Union is likely to take at least two years, as envisaged under Article 50 of the treaty of the European Union once the article has commenced. During this period, the UK remains a member of the European Union and its citizens continue to enjoy full rights, including freedom of movement, within the European Union. The referendum in Britain has in no way changed the entitlement to an Irish passport, including as it extends to people born on the island of Ireland and those who may be entitled to Irish citizenship through parents or grandparents who were born in Ireland.

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