Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the Minister of State. I know how busy he is. His presence here is appreciated. This matter is a simple one. I have provided the details on the applicant as additional information. It has to do with registering of births. This couple were abroad when the child arrived prematurely. The mother is from Australia and the dad is from Ireland but they are living in Ireland. The child was born abroad and they are going through the process of registering the birth with the Department of Foreign Affairs in order that they can go ahead and apply for a passport on behalf of the child.

Were it not for the Australian authorities, this child would still be stateless abroad. The Australian authorities were able to intervene and provide a short-term passport that will expire in August to facilitate the child coming back home to Ireland. This passport runs out in August. What will happen in August? This family wants to travel or at least the freedom to travel. The passport is not just a document that facilitates travel. It is an identification document and it is used for myriad other reasons. In the first or second week of August, the temporary Australian passport expires that was provided to facilitate this child being able come home, having been born prematurely abroad. Unless the Australian authorities are prepared to step up and intervene again, the child then becomes stateless again. It is completely unacceptable.

We all know the challenges in the Passport Office. The staff there are doing their best under difficult circumstances because every box needs to be ticked in order to facilitate a passport. We all get that. However, when it comes to the registering of births, surely to God the Department of Foreign Affairs can do a little bit better than allowing this type of situation go on for months. I have been making representations to the Department of Foreign Affairs for weeks now on this. It just shows the level of frustration that I have to come in here and put this down as a Commencement matter with details supplied to get some answers for these two people who are taxpayers and citizens of this country and are going about their business correctly, to see why in God's name their child cannot be registered and they cannot get a passport.