Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The debate has been useful and worthwhile, as well as comprehensive. Within the time available to me, I will not be able to recap everything that has been said. I thank Members and the Minister of State for their contributions. I also thank them for their support because this is an important issue. I do not say this in a combative way, but in campaigning since 2016 for a passport office in the North, to my great regret in many ways I have become the passport office in the North. I am acutely familiar with the problems.

In his opening remarks, the Minister of State said the turnaround time for online applications are now in line with normal pre-Covid processing times. Everything was not normal pre-Covid. There were still issues, and that is why I have campaigned for this since 2016. There are people who campaigned before then because there was a clear need and rationale for an office in the North.

I wish to recap on a couple of points. I again thank Senator Wilson for the initial drive on this motion. It was remiss of me not to acknowledge the steps taken by the Government in terms of the context of Covid and the additional services and investment made. I acknowledge and appreciate that, and I should have said that in my earlier contribution. In response to Senator Chambers and others, I have no issue with an office going into the west.

If my experience on this was based solely on my experience of an online renewal for my passport, I would think everything was fine. I applied online and received my passport book within three days and card within five days. However, that is not the experience for everyone. While online is good and effective for a lot of people, we have not yet got to a place where it is available for all. During Covid and following the lifting of restrictions and subsequently, my office was on the phone several times, including today. There is not a day that I open my Facebook or Twitter without a series of messages about passport delays and issues. It is still an issue, and that is the reality of the situation. That is why I and the House have made the case on this.

Senator Currie raised an important point, which I raised during a debate on a motion in September last year and subsequently in a Commencement matter debate. MPs and MLAs from the North should have access to a dedicated helpline, hub or whatever it may be.The Minister, Deputy Coveney, on the day said that I was putting that to him while he was on his feet but that he would go away and look at it. I would hope that it has been looked at and hopefully we can hear something back soon that there would be a service for elected representatives from the North to be able to engage with the Passport Office in a more speedy fashion.

Senator Martin raised a couple of issues around Article 4. I will probably save my replying points in order to have a conversation with him over a cup of coffee because he raised some important issues and matters I might like to talk to him about.

For me, and that is why I made the point at the beginning of this contribution, I have been campaigning for this since 2016. The Government has been aware of problems around delays and a backlog which has only been exacerbated post-Brexit, and further exacerbated in the context of the restrictions being lifted. I do not oppose it and I have no issue with it, but a new office was opened in Balbriggan. There was a case for a new office and that is where the Department put it, which was in Balbriggan. That was a decision and it is fair enough but that office could have gone elsewhere.