Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Gallagher's call for a debate on the issuing of Irish passports. Over the weekend I attended the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Cardiff. The First Minister of Wales was happy to say that his wife and two siblings had Irish passports. The ambassador, H.E. Mr. Dan Mulhall, said there was a huge upsurge in applications for Irish passports. It is timely to have a debate and see where we might be able to locate offices.

Talking about passports and North-South matters, I welcome that two air ambulances have been located in Northern Ireland, at Belfast International Airport and at St. Angelo Airport in Fermanagh. Three years ago Senator Reilly and Alan Shatter, who has left the Oireachthas, located an air ambulance in Athlone which has saved dozens of lives.Where once a person involved in a traumatic car or other accident was brought to hospital by ambulance, the air ambulance brings people to centres of excellence within 18 or 19 minutes. It is incredible. We have co-operation in the provision of cross-Border health services and now need to bring the Minister to the House for a debate on how best to utilise air ambulances. I appreciate that these are different jurisdictions, but if we are able to use ambulances on a cross-Border basis, we should be able to use air ambulances in the same way. They have been proved to save lives and we must consider where we can locate them around the country to save many more.