Dáil debates

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Covid-19 (Foreign Affairs and Trade): Statements

 

6:35 pm

Photo of Emer HigginsEmer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste and his Department for their heroic efforts to return Irish citizens home safely as we prepared for lockdown. I have friends and former colleagues in Australia and Egypt and constituents in Peru and India who turned to me for help, and I could only help them because the Tánaiste and his staff helped me. I thank him and his team for ensuring they and thousands of others made it home safely to Ireland.

We have come a long way since then. We have gone from preparing for lockdown to preparing for reopening. People are following Government advice and staying at home, but many are eagerly awaiting their holidays abroad once restrictions are lifted. Holidays are always a special time of year, even more so this year. People have been locked up in their homes for months on end, only travelling 5 km from home. One thing is for sure: people have definitely earned their holidays this year.

However, many are now fearful they will miss out on this well-earned reward because their passports will expire before they are scheduled to leave or because their children need passports for the very first time. Despite applying in plenty of time, they have yet to receive their new passports because of backlogs in the Passport Office due to staff being redeployed to assist in contact tracing. I would welcome the Tánaiste's update on this. Will he clarify the plan to resume a full service in the Passport Office so people can enjoy their well-earned holidays?

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