Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He raises an interesting and fair point, and it is one that comes up quite a lot. I will certainly commit to engaging with the Minister for Justice on this. We are going through a period of reform in the passport service. Many challenges that used to exist, including delays in getting passports, are, thankfully, gone. Many people are pleasantly shocked at how quickly their passport arrives. I accept that as we move through reform this is an interesting point. Integrity and child protection are issues that Deputy McAuliffe and I value but is there a better or more efficient way to do this? Not all Garda stations are open at every time of the day. I accept there are real challenges. I will talk to the Minister for Justice and the Passport Office and I am happy to meet Deputy McAuliffe on this to see what we can do.

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