Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to welcome two changes announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, this morning. We have had considerable debate on the issue of passports in this House and within parties. We debated a Fine Gael motion on the matter in February. A new agreement with the Garda on witnessing first-time child applications was signed yesterday. At present about 50 applications a day are stalled and need new consent forms because of the inability to contact witnessing gardaí after three attempts. From now a daily list will be transmitted from the Passport Office to Garda management of the approximately 50 cases where contact has not been made. Contact will then be initiated on the Garda side meaning the application will not be cancelled. That is very welcome.

I have often come across cases where applicants are rushing and complete consent forms at home. They sign and date it and then bring it into the Garda station. The garda is then signing and dating it with a different date meaning the garda has not witnessed the signature in front of the applicant, making the consent form null and void. Applicants need to go back and get a new consent form. People need to be aware of that. It can take some time before they are notified that the consent form that was submitted was incorrect. For example, today I have been dealing with an applicant who was notified in recent days about a consent form submitted in early May with two different dates. I wanted to warn people about that.

I welcome that the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, has decided to offer the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, temporary access to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions ahead of public sector pay talks. The recent report of the Commission on the Defence Forces also made this recommendation. The Minister consulted with the Attorney General on the matter. I again ask for a wider debate on the issue of the Defence Forces because we have not had the Minister in the House for some time. That report on the Defence Forces would be a worthy topic.