Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Cathaoirleach has taken me a bit by surprise. I congratulate everybody on last week's celebration of the visit of President Biden to Ireland and particularly to Ballina in my home county of Mayo. The Department of Foreign Affairs and the local authority did a wonderful job in respect of that visit.

However, I will raise an issue with regard to the Passport Office. A number of weeks ago, a client approached me. He had booked a trip from Boston in the US to Ireland for the Easter break. Two nights before the flight, his house was broken into and his passport stolen, so he could not travel. He went to the consulate in Boston and was told that no emergency passport could be issued except where someone had died or so on and that he did not qualify. This is an Irish taxpayer. He pays his taxes here in Ireland. He is working in Boston but he also has interests in Ireland. He could not get a passport. He had to apply for one here in Ireland. He sent on photographs taken by a reputable outfit that provides photographs for passports in America but they failed the Irish test and so he had to send on another set. There were also queries over these. The result is that his passport application will not be processed until 5 May. This is a man, an Irish taxpayer, now has no valid identification while working in the United States. What is the function of all of the consulates we have around the world? We have several consulates in America. What is their function if they cannot look after our citizens? As I have said, this man is an Irish taxpayer and pays his taxes here in Ireland. His family lives here in Ireland and yet this is the way he is being treated by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is time that the consulates process emergency passports as they did before Covid struck the world. This should be dealt with as a priority and I hope the Deputy Leader will bring it to the attention of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs. The way this man has been treated is despicable. He will now not get a passport until May, when he wanted to be here with his family for Easter. He had a police report showing that his house was broken into and his passport stolen but the Irish authorities could not do anything for him and left him hanging out to dry. I hope the Deputy Leader will seek a solution to this issue.