Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Passports are critically important because last year approximately 200,000 people from Britain and Northern Ireland applied for an Irish passport. We will have staff on the ground at ports to assist the movement of goods through the landbridge, if necessary. The Tánaiste referred to Team Ireland which comprises bodies such as Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and Tourism Ireland. We have seen a decline in British tourist numbers since the Brexit storm first blew up. In that context, does the Tánaiste believe that we have enough feet on the ground? According to its website, the London embassy only has around 20 key officials who must now deal with what is a massive challenge. The Tánaiste also mentioned consular offices in Cardiff and Edinburgh, which also have relatively a small number of staff. Is this something that will feature in the budget in October? Will additional resources be provided to our diplomatic staff and all of the allied staff in Team Ireland?

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