John Brady
Question:71. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his response to the ongoing illegal settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13672/23]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Foreign Conflicts
What is the Government's response to the ongoing and significantly escalated settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories? What action is the Government prepared to take to hold Israel to account?
I am deeply concerned by the significant increase in settler violence in the West Bank. Ireland condemns in the strongest possible terms all acts of violence committed by settlers against Palestinian civilians. Ireland uses all available opportunities to make this point, including within the European Union and at the United Nations. The Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv also makes our position clear to the Israeli authorities bilaterally.
The mass settler violence in Huwara at the end of February was a particularly disturbing example of the escalation in recent months. As the occupying power, Israel has a clearly defined legal obligation to protect Palestinian citizens. The pervasive culture of impunity in response to incidents of settler violence is deeply concerning.
I engage regularly with partners on this issue, including my meetings with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, including in Munich in February, and with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in New York last week. Ireland also raised this issue of settler violence at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels yesterday.
Ireland’s position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is crystal clear. The continued establishment and expansion of settlements violate international law, undermine prospects for a two-state solution and are a major obstacle to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. We demand that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respects all its legal obligations in that regard.
In the current worrying context, it is important to consider steps to de-escalate the situation and avoid unilateral decisions and actions that fuel more conflict. I welcome that an agreement to reduce tensions was recently reached between Israeli and Palestinian security officials. The focus must now be on the implementation in good faith of this agreement. Ireland stands ready to help the parties rebuild a path towards dialogue and work together to reverse the negative cycle of violence and avoid any further loss of life.
As I outlined in my question, the attacks on Palestinians have escalated, as the Tánaiste will agree. Attacks on Palestinian homes, cars and livestock, along with shootings and knife attacks, the theft of livestock and land and the burning of crops are ongoing daily. Much of this is happening under the guidance of the occupying Israeli army. The attack on Huwara was described as the worst attack by settlers in many years. It needs to be placed in the context of the more than 3,000 illegal settler attacks against Palestinians that took place between 2010 and 2019. Such attacks are escalating daily.
The Tánaiste stated that he has raised the issue at a number of forums, including at the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday. I ask him to outline the nature of those discussions. More important, what action will be taken to hold Israel to account?
The attack on Huwara was particularly shocking in its scale and intensity and the sense of impunity. Israel has clear obligations to protect Palestinian civilians from such attacks. As the Deputy is aware, the Israeli and Palestinian security officials met at the summit in Aqaba, Jordan, last month, and again at Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday. I met with the Jordanian foreign minister on this issue and took his counsel in respect of the efforts he was making to broker these talks. The United States, Egypt and Jordan facilitated that meeting, at which a series of limited steps to reduce tensions was agreed. The focus now has to be on implementation. Notwithstanding the Aqaba summit, violence subsequently happened. I listened to the comments of the Jordanian foreign minister on this matter. He believes the frameworks are still there to try to reduce tensions and de-escalate this as quickly as possible. Both sides have agreed to de-escalation on the ground to prevent further violence. That is where our focus must be. That is what we have to do to give respite in the immediate phase for Palestinian citizens.
There may have been an agreement in principle but the reality on the ground is that there are extreme right-wing ministers in the Israeli Government. On Sunday, the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, claimed there are no Palestinians because there is not a Palestinian people. That comes from the same minister who called for the town of Huwara to be wiped out after the attack by illegal Israeli settlers. Only today, the Israeli Government repealed a 2005 law that ordered the dismantling of four illegal settlements in the northern West Bank that were built on private Palestinian land. Therefore, it is quite clear that there is no intent by Israel, as an occupying force, to de-escalate. Indeed, it is standing and aiding and abetting the escalating settler violence. Now is not the time for words but for action. What action will be taken? Will the Minister commit to the Irish Government raising this issue at the European Council meeting that is due to take place over the coming days?
To be honest with the Deputy, as I said, we are all basically agreed on the issues here. Ireland has a consistent position. We used our position on the Security Council to consistently bring the Israeli-Palestinian situation to the table, as well as at the General Assembly in terms of supporting the resolution, for example, on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
At an EU level, we are endeavouring to create a group of like-minded states that can change the direction within the EU itself. To raise it at a European Council meeting, there has to be a focus and a context. At the Foreign Affairs Council, not yesterday but at the second before last, we met the Palestinian Prime Minister and foreign affairs Minister. The subject matter of that discussion was whether we can get a proper sustained relationship and association agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the EU. We are working to try to build a significant critical mass within the EU because the EU has changed in its opinion, regrettably. Many countries do not share the perspective we have on this. I met Mr. António Guterres on this last week. Again, there is much pessimism abroad in terms of endeavouring to resolve this, not least because of the composition of the new Israeli Government-----
Unfortunately, we are over time.
-----and comments like those by the Minister, Mr. Smotrich, in particular, which are quite racist.
We are way over time.
It is absolutely unacceptable that any Minister would say that about Palestinians within Palestine.
Foreign Conflicts
Brendan Howlin
Question:72. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the approach he is taking to the actions of the new Israeli Government on its ongoing efforts to destroy a two-state solution; the specific actions, including sanctions, that will be taken against Israel for the recognition of, and development of, new illegal settlements; the measures if any, that will be proposed to halt the lethal escalation of violence in Palestine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13611/23]
I want to continue on this theme because I feel fundamentally depressed by what is unfolding internationally. The only internationally supported long-term peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was and is a viable two-state solution, a viable and internationally recognised state of Israel and a viable and internationally recognised state of Palestine. That is now being made impossible, day by day, by the illegal settlement on Palestinian lands. We really need a strategy to deal with that.
I accept what the Deputy is saying in respect of where we are going or where the Israeli Government is going here. It has been our long-standing position that policies and practices of successive Israeli governments relating to illegal settlements and their expansion, as well as expulsions, forced transfers and demolitions, undermine prospects for a two-state solution and are a major obstacle to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
The continued establishment and expansion of settlements is a violation of international law and is absolutely unacceptable. It is deeply concerning that the stated intentions of this Israeli Government continue to show blatant disregard for the clear international consensus around this issue. It is absolutely imperative that the international community supports the Palestinian Authority in its recourse to legal and political responses to the occupation.
In this regard, I welcome that the UN Security Council adopted by consensus on 20 February a formal presidential statement expressing its opposition to "all unilateral measures that impede peace, including, inter alia, Israeli construction and expansion of settlements, confiscation of Palestinians’ land, and the 'legalisation' of settlement outposts, demolition of Palestinians’ homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians". We are very concerned at the high level of civilian casualties in the occupied Palestinian territory. As I said earlier, Israel has an obligation under international law, as an occupying power, to protect civilians. It must adhere to such international law. As I said, I have had regular engagement with international partners on this issue, the most recent being with the Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ayman Safadi.
Earlier this month, the 27 member states of the EU issued a joint statement that made clear that Israel must stop settlement expansion, prevent settler violence and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable. We raised this issue again at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels yesterday and urged all EU colleagues to keep the issue high on the agenda. We remain committed to supporting all efforts in terms of a just and lasting two-state solution, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, on the basis of international law and agreed international parameters.
The situation is as Deputy Howlin articulated. The current policy of this Israeli Government, in my view, seems to be to abandon the two-state solution or make a two-state solution unviable and impossible in favour of the creation of a single state. It denies that and says that is not its intention. That single state cannot be an apartheid state either. There would have to be equality of treatment for all civilians.
We are way over time.
My point is that we remain steadfastly supportive of a two-state solution.
I thank the Tánaiste.
I am extremely concerned, just as the Deputy is, at the way things are turning out.
I do not doubt for a second the Minister's sincerity in this regard. This is not just this House condemning a particular act of violence or a particular atrocity, however. It is the undermining of the basis for lasting peace in a situation that has often been the root of a conflict that has spread across the world over recent decades.
The West Bank is the main part of the Palestinian territories. Israel has now constructed 130 settlements that house more than 700,000 settlers. As the Minister has heard, the Israeli Parliament repealed legislation that ordered the dismantling of four settlements in the past in the occupied West Bank. It is, therefore, almost a green light for the wholesale annexation of Palestinian territories and the creation of an impossibility for lasting peace.
I do not disagree. I do not get the strategic approach - if one could call it that - from the Israeli Government. It ultimately undermines the security of the Israeli state itself. Israeli policy has marginalised moderate opinion within Palestine. Israeli decisions seem almost tantamount to creating fertile ground for hard-line extremist positions. That is, in my view, counterintuitive in terms of proper peace and a stable situation. The two-state solution has been earmarked for a long time. It is very difficult to even articulate the concept of a two-state solution given what has happened. What we have to do is continue to raise it on every international forum and work with like-minded states in the European Union to raise the profile for the Palestinian Authority and get greater agreements between the Palestinian Authority and the European Union.
I thank the Tánaiste.
I would argue that we have been using the United Nations very effectively.
Go raibh maith agat.
We must continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, as well as non-governmental civil society in Palestine and those who defend human rights.
I apologise, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle; I am not used to the ministerial time limits.
It is no use all of us saying we will continue to condemn and so on if the basis for a solution is fundamentally undermined and made impossible. Then, we are talking about a single state. Is that the only viable outcome that is left? That will mean permanent conflict in Israel, in my view. We heard the Israeli finance minister, Mr. Bezalel Smotrich, say there is "no such thing" as a Palestinian people and his claim that the Palestinian people are a fictitious nation. That is what he said. That is articulating what is actually now the policy of the entire far-right Government that is currently ruling Israel and causing hundreds of thousands of its own citizens to take to the streets to protest about the erosion of fundamental democracy there. I ask the Minister to articulate a strategy that will save the possibility of a two-state solution. Can we build enough coherent allies to achieve that?
That is the strategy we have been following. We engage with the neighbourhood, which is particularly important, including Jordan and Egypt, as well as with the United States.
The issue has to be raised in terms of the engagement of the United States of America and the European Union with Israel. There are very serious issues arising around the behaviour and the performance of this Israeli Government, not least with its internal situation around judicial reforms and political control of the judiciary, which run counter to European Union values. We have those issues within Europe too with regard to the rue of law and we take particular stances on them. It would seem to me to be a logical follow-through that, given what is happening in Israel, the EU has to take more than just a note of that. Our actions into the future and the relationship between the European Union and Israel will have to reflect the absolute disagreement with the approach this Israeli Government has taken on a number of fronts. The comments by Mr. Smotrich are shocking and give an indication of what a significant proportion of that Government believes. It is a racist comment and I believe it is also more than that; it is an incitement to violence. It suggests an endorsement of what happened in Huwara. If one reads the details, it was a shocking violation of the dignity of the civilians-----
They robbed the Palestinians of hope, which will lead to violence.
Yes. It was a blatant attack on people, businesses and houses. It was quite shocking. There was a trauma visited upon children and a sense of insecurity and of fear. It is designed, in line with Mr. Smotrich's comments, to force people out and to create terror. I am in no doubt about that. We have to work with other countries to try to really escalate the international response to this.
State Visits
John Brady
Question:73. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline details of the planned visit by US President Joe Biden to Ireland in April; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13673/23]
I wish to raise the issue of the welcome announcement last week that the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, will visit Ireland in the next month or so. Will the Minister give some details, if any details are available yet, on the nature of the visit, what the itinerary looks like, where exactly he will visit, and whom he will engage with?
The forthcoming visit of President Biden will be an historic occasion for Ireland. It will be a significant event, celebrating the strong ties between the people of Ireland and the people of the United States. We all know that the President has for a long time been a great friend of Ireland; in fact, he wears this on his sleeve and does not hide his Irishness or his background.
President Biden has, over many decades, been a very active supporter of the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. The engagement of successive United States of America Administrations, its Congress and the Irish diaspora has been indispensable over the past three decades and will continue to play a part in ensuring that peace and economic progress on the island of Ireland continues and will underpin the Good Friday Agreement. We are especially conscious of the role President Biden played in the aftermath of Brexit in making it very clear that he would not comprehend any undermining of the Good Friday Agreement.
It is particularly welcome that President Biden will come this year to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which was a transformational moment in the history of this island, and that he will also travel to Northern Ireland. It is an opportunity for Ireland and the United States to reaffirm our joint commitment to protecting and building upon the peace in Northern Ireland. Obviously, it offers us an opportunity to reinforce the strong historic, economic, cultural, and family ties between our two nations, as well as an opportunity to discuss current international issues.
I do not have the details of the President's visit. They are still at the planning stage and I believe it is a matter for the President to outline his itinerary. We know that he has a fondness for certain parts of Ireland because of his family background on both sides-----
There will be lots of new claims.
Yes, there will be lots of new claims as well. Of course, he is probably the best quoter of Irish poetry at any international forum. I have had the pleasure of attending a number of summits of EU Council meetings and meetings between Europe and NATO and so on where his introduction would be a quotation from an Irish poet. I was the Taoiseach at the time. President Biden would say that I was used to him quoting Irish poets, not because they are Irish but "because they're the best poets". He has been a great advocate for Ireland and a great supporter of ours, which we appreciate.
I agree that the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement is an ideal opportunity for the President to visit Ireland. We are aware of the influence that Irish America had 25 years ago in the entire peace process and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. The President is very proud of his Irish heritage, as the Minister has outlined. He wears it on his sleeve and it is great to see a President with such strong Irish roots. He has essentially made the White House an open door for Irish politicians to go and let all issues Irish be heard.
The visit should also be seized as an opportunity to influence the bad decision by the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, to stay out of the Assembly. I am aware that an invitation has been extended to the President to address the Assembly. It is difficult when it is not sitting. What influence can the Tánaiste and the Government bring to bear on the President to try to influence the DUP to end its boycott of the Assembly and the Executive in the North?
In the first instance, I have held the consistent view that once elections have been held all political parties that participated in any election should immediately form a Parliament and create an Executive. This is the democratic thing to do. That has always been my view, irrespective of issues around Brexit and the protocol. President Biden has been very positive about that issue and very firm in underpinning the Good Friday Agreement and that there would be no hard border on the island of Ireland.
The visit is not one where I would attempt to embroil President Biden in any political situation. He has maintained a very strong interest in and engagement with this issue, as has the US Administration in its dialogue with the Irish Government and the United Kingdom Government. He has already encouraged - and would like to encourage - everybody to participate, particularly in the aftermath of the Windsor Framework agreement. In my view, that comprehensively addresses the issues that were raised by many members of the unionist parties on the protocol.
The US President's presence in itself is a clear signal that it is not just about 25 years having passed but also that we should pivot to the future economically. President Biden's appointment of Joe Kennedy as an envoy speaks to his commitment to make the 25th anniversary a significant catalyst for economic growth in Northern Ireland.
We are running seriously over time and I ask Members to please keep to time. I am a novice here. Take pity on me.
The opportunity should also be taken to brief President Biden around the British amnesty legislation, if that has not happened by then. I hope it has been raised with the President. There is an opportunity to brief him on the issue. It is not every day that this happens, I believe 2011 was the last time we had a US President here in Ireland.
There is also the whole issue of the undocumented in America. This will be a key opportunity to try to push the issue to get a resolution for so many Irish people living in the United States of America, and to try to regularise their residency there.
Every opportunity should be taken when we have President Biden here. He is very proud of his Irish roots. If he does run again for the presidency, hopefully we will see him get another term. God only knows what the situation will be if he does not. I dread to think. We should utilise this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to seize the momentum here on these key issues.
The US Administration has been briefed on the legacy issue. I was in Washington four weeks ago and I met the national security advisor, Mr. Jake Sullivan, and a number of key officials in the State Department with regard to the European and Irish question. I briefed them on our concerns around the legacy Bill, our opposition to the legacy Bill especially in the context of it not being in compliance with Article 2, and the general degree to which, in our view, it undermines human rights more generally but also human rights as a component of the Good Friday Agreement.
President Biden is committed to the issue of the undocumented.
The Deputy knows and I know that the real action has to be within Congress, in the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have been meeting with the Friends of Ireland, under the chairmanship of Mr. Richard Neal, whom I met this week and with whom I participated in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Holyoke, which is his area. We discussed the issue then. I also met people who are undocumented and it is a huge concern. Again, they need to reach a consensus in Congress. They are working to see if they can do something on the E3 visa, which they were close to doing previously.
Undocumented Irish in the USA
Gary Gannon
Question:74. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent visit to the United States and efforts he made to regularise the status of the undocumented Irish living there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13894/23]
I ask the Tánaiste to report on his recent visit to the United States of America and the efforts he made to regularise the status of undocumented Irish living there and if he will make a statement on the matter. I appreciate that my question is quite similar to the previous one but I will try to place a different dynamic on it in response to the Tánaiste's answer.
Addressing the status of undocumented Irish citizens in the United States remains a priority for the Government and is raised on an ongoing basis in our engagements with the Administration and political leaders in the United States.
The Taoiseach raised immigration matters directly with President Biden during his visit to the White House on St. Patrick's Day. I also discussed immigration extensively in meetings with Members of Congress during my most recent visit to Washington D.C. last month and over the last week in meetings with various political representatives, particularly Mr. Richard Neal. Ireland's Embassy in Washington D.C. and our network of consulates general across the United States continue to monitor the situation closely and to engage with US officials on immigration issues. They also actively support Irish community groups that provide assistance and information to Irish citizens living in the US, including those who are undocumented. Our missions also continue to seek ways to improve the day-to-day lives of our undocumented citizens on practical issues such as securing driving licences, accessing free legal advice and securing healthcare.
Last week, during my St. Patrick's Day visit to New York and Massachusetts, I visited the New York Irish Center, Solace House in New York, as well as the Irish Pastoral Centre in Boston, where I had the opportunity to hear first-hand about the vital services and support provided to our diaspora, including undocumented Irish citizens, by organisations which receive support from the Government's emigrant support programme. I also discussed ongoing efforts in Congress to secure legal immigration pathways with Congressman Richard Neal, whom I met at the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England, which is another emigrant support programme partner. Mr. Neal is co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Ireland and has been a steadfast advocate for the undocumented Irish in the US over the years.
In addition to participation in the traditional elements of St. Patrick's Day celebrations in New York and Boston, I had numerous business and community engagements, as well as meetings with interlocutors at city, state and governor level. It was a fairly packed schedule. I will not go through the list of all those I met but I can forward it to the Deputy.
I appreciate that. I followed events quite closely and understand the importance of the visit. I should give forewarning that at the end of my contribution I will turn my attention from the situation of the undocumented Irish in the US to the situation of undocumented people here in Ireland.
This time last year the Minister for Foreign Affairs made it clear that the situation of undocumented Irish immigrants in the US was a key priority for the Government. He said that the focus was on securing legal pathways for those seeking to live and work there and that the Government continued to urge the US to create pathways for undocumented migrants to secure citizenship and to change immigration policy to award visas to people from Ireland who wished to live and work in the US.
The Government's stance on Irish migrants is very clear and very honourable and is one that I support fully. Last year the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, said that everyone in this House wants the same outcome, which is to find a way of regularising the lives of Irish people living in the US in the shadows. In that context, why does the same Government refuse to regularise the lives of migrants who are living in Ireland under the exact same conditions? Does the Minister agree there is a degree of hypocrisy here? We go to the US seeking to regularise the position of Irish people there but are unwilling to do the same for people living here in Ireland who would like to regularise their situation. How do we regularise people here who seek the same terms as their Irish counterparts in the US?
We have done so.
Only for six months.
No, we took an initiative last year whereby we had an amnesty. That was regularising people.
Yes, exactly. That was wonderful. Should we not continue with that?
The Deputy said we had not regularised people.
No, no.
We took a very significant initiative at the early stages of this Government to regularise the situation for people who were here for a considerable length of time. The result of that is that thousands of people are legally resident who were in various centres and so on. We are consistently endeavouring to get housing for them and over time, they work with the local authorities.
There has to be balance in migration policy. Our strategy within the US, where some people are undocumented for between 14 and 20 years, is fair, particularly given the historic links between Ireland and the US. It has worked both ways but historically there is that tie and, in my view, we should try to develop legal channels between the US and Ireland. When I was in Washington four weeks ago, we signed off on extending the graduate work programme again, which I initiated ten years ago with John Negroponte when I was last Minister for Foreign Affairs. We need more and more legal channels for migration between Ireland and the US.
I agree with about 90% of the Tánaiste's contribution. We are on the same page in many ways. Every year we see the Irish Government, including the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach, go to the US to try to create pathways and to advocate for Irish people who have gone to the US, who are contributing to that country through their work and through raising their families and who have made and continue to make a substantial contribution. What of a Georgian person coming to our country who also wants to work here and to raise a family, or a person from Albania? The latter country is on an EU accession pathway but its citizens have little or no access to a working visa platform. Last year, for example, the Irish State offered eight working visas to people from Georgia to enable them to come here to work and make a contribution. As we go to the US and advocate for Irish people there, should we not also reflect on our own situation?
I agree that many people benefited from last year's regularisation platform but it lasted only six months. Why do we not extend that, open it up again and afford the same security of citizenship to people who want to come here, work, contribute and build a life?
There has to be a balance with migration policy. We are in a situation now, because we are in the European Union, where there is complete mobility among the 27 member states that are home to close to 450 million people. That mobility actually extends beyond the EU and includes the European Economic Area, EEA, countries as well. We allocated 40,000 work permits last year and we had the regularisation scheme before that. There are limits in terms of sustainable and manageable levels of migration. People can apply for economic work permits. There are systems in Ireland. It is different from how the US operates. If someone is caught living illegally in the US, he or she is put on a plane and never allowed to return. We have similar regulations on deportations in some respects but they are rarely applied. Deportations are the rare exception rather than the norm here, if we are honest, but we do create pathways in Ireland for people to access work. There is a work permit system through which people can apply so in that sense, comparisons with the US are not valid.
They are valid.
They are not valid at all because there are Irish people undocumented in the US for 25 years and more.
There are people who were born here who have not been regularised.
There was a very significant amnesty scheme announced so I am not clear why they would not have been regularised in the context of that scheme.
Passport Services
John Brady
Question:75. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will establish a process to allow public representatives from the North to make representations to the Passport Office to assist in the processing of passport applications from the North; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13674/23]
Given the ongoing refusal by the Government to acknowledge that there is a need for a Passport Office to be opened in the North, will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs consider putting in place a mechanism to allow elected public representatives, including MLAs and MPs, from the North to make representations to the Department on behalf of their constituents with regard to their Irish passport applications?
First, I would like to highlight the positive position of the passport service. It is successfully meeting the current high demand. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs. Over 230,000 passports have been issued in the first three months of 2023.
I have fully supported the provision of an online portal for passport queries from MLAs from the Northern Ireland Assembly and am pleased to confirm that this has been developed and will be launched shortly. The portal will facilitate MLAs to bring urgent cases to the attention of the passport service. It will operate on a similar basis to the Oireachtas phone line which Oireachtas Members use to query applications on behalf of citizens.
It is important to note that this channel will not function as a means of expediting passport applications. In each case raised by an elected representative, the passport service reviews the application. Applications can be expedited only in cases of genuine emergency, such as urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad.
Currently, elected representatives of Irish citizens, including those from Northern Ireland, can make formal representations to me in relation to passport applications by submitting inquiries directly to my office. Passport applicants can also track the status of their application online via the passport tracker available on my Department's website. This is an excellent guide as to where an application is in the system. I encourage all applicants who have a query about their application to contact the passport service's customer service hub, where they can speak to a passport service agent via phone or web chat; 100% of callers to the passport service are getting through each day.
Again, as I said earlier in respect of passport offices in Northern Ireland and in the west of Ireland, the overwhelming strategy is to digitise the service and this is working very significantly for the applicants. We need to keep the focus on the easiest and the most effective way to apply. Without question, the digital strategy is the most effective.
I welcome the political decision that has been taken to open the hub for representations from MLAs. It is a critical decision because that technology has been there for the last year or so. The Minister's predecessor, Deputy Coveney, gave us a similar response last year. He said it was being looked at. The Minister might give us specific dates as to when it is going to be implemented and explain why it will not be extended to MPs, who have also been elected in the North. They also have a mandate and are equally entitled to make representations on behalf of Irish citizens.
There is a huge demand. Last year, more than 128,000 Irish passports were issued in the North and 50,000 of those were first-time applications. Many of those public representatives had to come through Members of this House to try to get clarity as to where the application was and how it was progressing through the Passport Office.
I thank Deputy Brady.
The Minister might give us some more specific details as to when exactly the portal will be opened to representations.
As I said, we are confirming that it will be launched shortly. The word "shortly" is a very beloved word.
Expansion is the word.
However, it will be shortly. I am positive about that aspect of it. Only recently it was extended to MEPs, who did not have access to it, but I decided to give a small number of them access as well. MLAs will now get access. I do not have information about the specific week or whenever we will have it. However, it will be happening shortly and it is ready to go. As I said earlier, 90% of applicants last year applied through passport online and that figure will continue to grow as the passport service's digital first strategy continues to roll out. In Northern Ireland, the demand is approximately 10% of total applications received by the passport service.
I thank the Minister. I would like clarity as to what "shortly" actually means. Maybe the Minister will come back to us. The technology is there. The hub has been developed and it is in place. It is just a political decision that needs to be taken to roll it out to MLAs. The Minister did not answer the question about MPs and whether it can be extended to them. If it is being extended to MEPs there should be no reason it cannot be extended to MPs who are elected in the North. What analysis has been carried out? The Minister is probably acutely aware that a five-week strike will potentially take place in the British passport office. I believe that will have the serious impact of people in the North putting in new applications for Irish passports on foot of that, given fears they may have in relation to having a passport by summertime. What analysis has been carried out on that?
To conclude, I reiterate there is a demand for a passport office to be opened in the North-----
I thank the Deputy.
I know the Minister will counter that and he will dismiss it but I believe there is strong evidence there for it.
The evidence so far this year in terms of the response is good; 100% of people are getting callbacks and 230,000, which was the figure I gave earlier, have already been processed in three months. It is a good service and it is working well.
Regarding MPs, I did not realise that Sinn Féin's MPs were that anxious to exercise their mandate. I know they ran for election but they do not take their seats. I remember they were-----
Rightfully so, too.
Sinn Féin's members were conspicuously absent during the Brexit debate-----
They still have an electoral mandate.
-----and it would have been very helpful if we had had more Irish voices at the time arguing about Brexit.
We are doing what Fianna Fáil wants done and that was boycotting Westminster.
One voice at a time.
I am glad the Deputy has given Members of my party credit for Irish independence. I appreciate that. That is a bit different from the normal narrative that comes.
What the Minister is saying is wrong and is questionable.
Please, one voice.
A strain.