James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for taking the question. I would like to get a better indication of the Department's understanding of the number of applications made per county. I want to get a greater understanding of how many applications there are on the island of Ireland, North and South. Thankfully, I got that information this morning. From an international perspective, I would like to separate that information. It is important we get a full understanding of the position. My concern relates to the number of mainland UK-based applications, in particular as a consequence of the knock-on effect of Brexit. People are taking advantage of the system to try to get access to an Irish passport because they have a potential entitlement to one, despite having no interest in the State. That is an issue.

I want to compliment the Minister, Deputy Coveney, the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and other Ministers of State in the Department who have worked hard to resolve these issues. I understand the reasons behind the backlog and it is good to hear there has been a drop in demand, and fingers crossed that will remove many of the issues in the next number of weeks.

See this speech in context