Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Recent events in the USA are very sad and very disturbing. Both I and my party condemn discrimination and racism of any kind. People must have the right to protest peacefully, and the use of violence and force must be condemned. Government at all times must act democratically and in the best interests of all its people.

I wish to take up the points the Tánaiste made concerning passport service. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs website, public offices dealing with provision of passport services are closed until further notice. Applicants can apply online, but applications will not be processed until normal services are resumed. The post office facility is not operational. The phonelines are closed, but the website states that genuine emergency cases can be dealt with using web chat services. The Tánaiste outlined when normal services will resume. Will there be a backlog of passport applications? Does he have any figures on how many passport applications are awaiting processing, and will additional resources be given to the passport service to deal with the inevitable backlog of passport applications?

I would also like to raise an EU matter at this point. I refer to the multi-annual financial framework 2021-2027, and the European Commission's proposals for a recovery package for the EU economy, a €750 billion fund, including €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans. Ireland is set to receive €1.9 billion from this package. The EU will be borrowing the money. This is an unprecedented response by the EU, but the borrowing will have to be paid back eventually, and suggestions for this include climate change taxes, plastic taxes and a digital sales tax. The latter of course would have implications for Google and Facebook. Is the package likely to be agreed by the European Council? What is the Irish position on it? Will we have to increase our contributions to the EU down the line to pay for it? What own resources would Ireland consider in this context? Is our corporate tax rate under threat in this regard?

I welcome what the Tánaiste had to say ion the repatriation of Irish citizens. I also to pay tribute to our embassies and consulates overseas which have done Trojan work. I know from my experience in my constituency of the work they have done. I have a specific question on the Canary Islands. Are there many Irish citizens there trying to get home? I understand some of them are in poor health. I am interested because it is such a popular destination for Irish citizens.

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