I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, to the House. The first Commencement matter is from Senator Erin McGreehan.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Digital Accessibility Grant
The Minister is very welcome. I am asking for a discussion on the introduction of a digital accessibility grant to offer financial supports to enable companies to meet web content accessibility standards in the development of their websites and mobile applications. I will explain what digital accessibility is. It is the process of making the digital world, such as websites, mobile apps and other online tools, accessible to everyone. It is about ensuring that everyone in society can access the same information regardless of impairments or disabilities they may have. The difference an accessible website can make is huge. It means that someone who is visually impaired can shop, book flights or spend as much time as they want browsing through websites. They can research, study, communicate and work. They have the independence and autonomy to do something by themselves.
As the Minister knows, this country ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. The convention requires its parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, including information and communication technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open to or provided for the public, in both urban and rural areas. It has identified the need to create a legislative framework with concrete, enforceable and timebound benchmarks for monitoring the gradual implementation of accessibility. The EU has started this process by introducing the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020. These regulations will be extended in June 2024 through a directive which will take in private bodies as well as public sector bodies.
There are 55,000 people in this country with a visual impairment. Over 30 million people in Europe have a visual impairment. We know there is a huge cost of having a disability but we must remember that these people are also consumers of products. They are taxpayers, and equal citizens looking for equity. Customers of accessible products and services and assistive technologies are faced with high prices due to limited competition among suppliers. This is an opportunity to do better for people with disabilities and for business, as it potentially opens up brand-new markets of consumers.
I ask the Minister to consider a proposal the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, submitted to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment last year that a disability and accessibility grant be introduced, which would offer financial supports to enable companies to meet the web content accessibility standards. It may not be a legal requirement as yet for businesses, but it is an opportunity for businesses to do better and to include accessibility aspects in existing supports, such as the online training scheme or the digital transition fund.
We can do a lot better. Irish businesses could be given the platform, capability and opportunity to lead the way in Europe.
Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome visitors from Stratford College in Rathgar to Seanad Éireann today.
I thank Senator McGreehan for raising the very important issue of digital accessibility. The Senator worked very hard in this area before her term in the Seanad. She has continued that work as a Senator, as well as privately.
The promotion of accessibility in all facets of life, including online, is important to ensure people with disabilities can fully participate in our society. Under the European Union regulations 2020, all public sector bodies are required to make their websites and mobile applications accessible for people with disabilities. The office of the Government's chief information officer, in developing the State’s website Gov.ie, has worked to ensure that the content on the site is accessible and is developed to be accessible to those with a reading age of 14. However, these regulations do not yet exist for private businesses as the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is currently working to transpose the EU directive, known as the European Accessibility Act, into Irish law. As the regulations which will be put in place in Ireland are developed and decisions are made around the specific standards which enterprises will be expected to meet, any necessary supports that are needed to help enterprises adapt to these changes will be considered and put in place.
To support the promotion of web accessibility, guidelines and technical standards have been developed. The National Disability Authority, NDA, has produced extensive guidance and codes of practice around accessibility. The National Adult Literacy Agency, NALA, also has guidance on the use of plain English which is also important in making material accessible online.
Under Ireland’s national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital, the Government has committed to ensuring that it better serves those cohorts who are not in a position to engage online through a clear plan involving focused supports, including skills and infrastructure, and assisted digital facilities safeguarded through appropriate consents and protocols. The Government is also developing a digital inclusion roadmap which is aimed at ensuring greater coordination and cohesion across the digital agenda. There is already a lot of work being done across government to achieve digital inclusion through better skills, access and infrastructure and it is intended that the roadmap will bring this work together in a coherent manner.
I thank the Minister of State for the response on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which is not his Department. The response does not directly address my request that there would be a digital accessibility grant. Such a grant was proposed by the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, last year to the former Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy English.
I understand that the regulation has yet to be transposed into Irish law and that international standards have already been developed. Those international standards have been accepted by the EU and form part of the regulation that will be transposed. So many businesses are going online and we are offering them grants and support for digital upgrades. In that context, why not go that step further and include a requirement to ensure that the international standards on accessibility accepted by the EU and which form part of the regulation are applied to all new businesses? This will provide new markets, new space and most importantly, equity, for people who are visually impaired.
Again, I thank Deputy McGreehan for raising this very important matter. Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in the way we live, learn, work and participate in the economy and in society. Digital technologies can and should make the lives of all of our people better, for example through the creation of new job opportunities, new and more efficient ways of working, greater and more equitable access to personal, social and civic opportunities and improved accessible and inclusive government services for everyone.
However, in an increasingly digital society, those who are unable to avail of digital opportunities for whatever reason, risk being excluded from society. Social inclusion continues to be a whole-of-government policy, a key aim of which is to increase social inclusion for those who are most disadvantaged. This is reflected in the ambition, goals and commitments in the Government’s Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, overseen by the Department of Social Protection. Meaningful digital inclusion is an important element of social inclusion and is required to achieve equitable participation in the digital society. In that context, meaningful implementation of the European Accessibility Act by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is very important.
The Minister will of course be taking into account all necessary supports that are needed as the regulations are developed and the decisions are made. It is not until we work those out a little more that we can establish what necessary supports are needed to be put in place.
I commend Senator McGreehan on tabling an absolutely outstanding Commencement matter. If such a scheme was in place, it would transform the lives of people with vision impairments. I was quite disappointed the then Minister of State, Deputy English, was not able to facilitate this when I organised a meeting. I organised another meeting last week with the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Richmond, so hopefully we might see some progress. Well done to Senator McGreehan.
Domestic Violence
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, to the Chamber. I thank him for coming to discuss this very important matter which is the issue of the lack of women's refuge in north County Dublin.
North County Dublin has the fastest growing population in the country. I am very lucky to live there and represent the area but there is an acute need for a women's refuge and an awful lot of other services in the area. The services that are there are severely under pressure, or in many instances, are not actually available at all. That is the case with the women's refuge.
There is no women's refuge currently in north County Dublin. In the whole of Fingal, there is one women's refuge which is in Blanchardstown. They do great work there. It is heavily oversubscribed and Blanchardstown does not serve north Fingal and the areas I am talking about such as Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Donabate, and the rural villages of the Naul, Ballyboughal and so on.
Unfortunately, there is an acute need. Tusla published a report in February 2022 which identified Balbriggan as a priority area for the provision of a nine-unit refuge with spaces for nine families. This is yet to be delivered. The mayor of Fingal, Howard Mahony, has been working tirelessly on this issue since his election to the mayoralty last summer. He has been working with the executive in Fingal County Council which is engaging with the stakeholders in the area but they need a commitment on funding and engagement from the Department of Justice to deliver this, and deliver it without further delay for the women and children of north County Dublin.
Unfortunately, there has been an increase in gender-based and domestic violence. I could stand here and list the women who have been murdered in their own homes and subjected to great violence within their own homes in recent years. That is a very real possibility for women and their children who have to flee their homes often with just the clothes on their back. They need to know there is some place local to them where they can go to get the support they need, a roof over their heads and then engage with services and perhaps get a barring or safety order in place or find alternative accommodation.
Currently, there is nothing in north County Dublin. There is no refuge there. There are very good services providing support for women in those situations but we actually need some place where women can live safely and comfortably with their children while other supports are being put in place for the family. It is a traumatic enough situation to have to flee one's home in such circumstances but to leave one's own locality to actually access a safe refuge is doubly traumatic for those women and their children.
Will the Minister of State engage proactively with the mayor, Councillor Howard Mahony, and the executive of Fingal County Council, to deliver a refuge in Balbriggan to serve the surrounding areas? While I am at it, even though Balbriggan was noted as a priority area, the town of Swords also needs a refuge. It is a town of 60,000 people, there is no refuge and there is a great need there. I know my colleague, Councillor Brigid Manton, has championed that since she was elected as well because she knows the acute need that is there in the town of Swords.
I ask that the Minister of State would give a commitment to the House today that his Department will fund the refuge and engage proactively with the mayor of Fingal, Howard Mahony, and the executive in Fingal County Council.
I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this very important issue. I know the good work she has done for a considerable amount of time in this area.
The zero tolerance strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, which was published last June and runs to 2026, commits to doubling the number of refuge places within its lifetime. This will be the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces and by the end of this strategy there will be more than 280 refuge spaces in the country.
In addition, there will be delivery of more safe homes and step-down accommodation options. By the end of 2024, we expect to have delivered 24 refuge units in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan. I acknowledge the great work done by Wexford Women's Refuge and the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre in this area. Work is ongoing to finalise lead providers and sites for each of the other priority locations, with many already identified.
It is our intention that an additional 98 refuge units in priority locations will have been delivered by 2025 which, together with a further 19 additional and upgraded units delivered before the end of the strategy, will double the current number of refuge places. Balbriggan was identified as one of the priority locations and I understand that Aoibhneas women's and children's refuge is working with Tusla's domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services and Fingal County Council to advance this new refuge and secure a site in the area for the new facility.
In the meantime, the Housing Agency, which has helped Aoibhneas in identifying site options, is working with it on the design approach and on the funding proposal. Given the active participation of Aoibhneas and the collaboration already happening regarding the site and the design, I expect this project to move forward swiftly once a suitable site is secured with the assistance of the council. Aoibhneas women's and children's refuge currently runs a refuge in Coolock and provides domestic violence support services across north Dublin, including in the Balbriggan and wider Fingal area.
An implementation plan will be developed to take forward refuge developments in all of the priority areas identified. At the same time, work is ongoing on delivering more safe homes, which are usually separate units of supported emergency accommodation, such as an apartment or house at a community level, in order to meet the needs of those at low to medium risk of serious harm. An additional 12 safe homes were delivered in 2022, bringing the total to 32 nationwide. We plan to increase this to 50 by the end of this year.
We are continuing to work together with domestic violence organisations and applicant groups, through the Housing Agency, to provide assistance with capital funding applications, public procurement, and design and build processes. This approach will ensure we have the highest standard of refuge accommodation, delivered in the most efficient way. The zero tolerance strategy also commits to examining other options for victims of domestic violence, such as addressing barriers to remaining in the home if that is the preferred option.
I thank the Minister of State for that response. I appreciate it. I know Fingal County Council is working with agencies to find the site and deliver this, and that the Housing Agency is linking in with it. I feel there is a role for the Department of Justice to co-ordinate this, in light of the domestic violence strategy. I am glad there will be extra spaces in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan delivered by the end of 2024. That is very important in the context of provision on the east coast because the population expansion is on the east coast.
However, I would be very disappointed if the space in Balbriggan was not delivered by that date as well. The fact that the Minister of State flagged those particular areas and the date of the end of 2024 would have me a little concerned that there will not be movement on the Balbriggan site and delivery of the spaces by then. I will continue to engage with the Minister of State, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Agency, Fingal County Council and my colleague, Howard Mahony, to ensure this refuge is prioritised and delivered, and a safe space for the women and children of north Fingal who are fleeing violence is provided.
I again thank the Senator for raising this very important issue around the need for refuge spaces for those fleeing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I note her good work to date on the matter and her continuing good work in the area.
It is our intention that every person who needs a refuge space will have access to one. In line with key recommendations of the audit of responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the Government agreed to establish a dedicated statutory agency that will be charged with co-ordinating the Government's response in this important area. This new agency will be tasked with ensuring the delivery of excellent services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and with driving and co-ordinating the implementation of the third national strategy across Government.
The new agency will also be tasked with overseeing and supporting the provision of refuge accommodation for victims, as well as setting standards for services and refuges and monitoring adherence. It will bring the dedicated and expert focus that is needed to tackle this very serious and complex societal issue. The agency is a whole-of-government priority and it is intended to have it up and running by next January.
Last week, the Minister for Justice secured Government approval for the drafting of the legislation to set up the agency. By putting in place the correct structures to deliver additional refuge accommodation, including this new statutory agency, we will accelerate the number of additional spaces that can be opened each year.
As I said, Balbriggan has been identified as a priority location.
The Aoibhneas women's and children's refuge is working with Tusla, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services, and with Fingal County Council. Any supports needed will be provided to ensure refuge accommodation is provided as quickly as possible.
I ask the Minister of State for clarification that the new agency he referred to, to be set up by the Minister will fall under the remit of the Department of Justice.
The agency will come within the remit of the Department but it is essential that this agency will have cross-government support and involvement so that it is not purely a Department of Justice concern.
Schools Building Projects
I seek an update from the Minister for Education on a date for the awarding of the tender for the construction of a new building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, which is currently located in temporary facilities on Parnell Square East. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is an amazing small school, right in the heart of Dublin Central. It is at the top of O'Connell Street, just across the road from the Gate Hotel. It has been in that temporary accommodation for far too long, at nearly two decades and an eye-watering cost of more than €250,000 a year. None of us are getting any younger. I feel like I am getting very old with this story. Since I was first elected, I have supported Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. As a city councillor, I supported the transfer of land on Dominick Street to allow for the building of a new school.
Initially, it was conceived as an eight-classroom school. Due to the demand for the school, which is a wonderful, small, friendly, co-educational Gaelscoil, with a positive, healthy, inclusive environment, it has been upgraded to a 16-classroom school. After the Government was formed, the Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley, made herself available to meet the school, both virtually during Covid and also in visits to the school. She is the first Minister for Education to visit the school despite the fact that this school is only a stone's throw from the Department of Education. It is right in the heart of our capital city and has been in temporary accommodation for almost two decades.
The school building went to tender, thanks again to the support from the Minister. Those tenders were responded to and submitted. I understand that after the tenders were submitted, the successful tender was selected and has been sent to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. My heart sank when I heard that the project is now on hold. It is on hold in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and it is a spending issue.
Spending and costs come in many different forms. There is the cost of a lack of quality of life and a loss of education. There is the cost of a loss of vibrancy in our core city centre. There is a cost to the children, the teachers and the parents. To give the Minister a perspective, the principal of the school attended the school as a pupil. It should be kept in mind that it is a primary school. He went on to secondary school and to university. He has now returned as the principal and he has been the principal for a number of years. The Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform has a job to do, which I respect. It has to look after and ensure that all public spending is done appropriately but it needs to examine the cost of the delays that its public procurement process causes, including the cost of construction inflation, the cost of a loss of educational opportunity and the cost of a loss of regeneration of our inner city. I hope the Minister of State has come to the House with a positive update and a date for the awarding of the tender for the construction of a new school on Dominick Street and a commencement date for the construction.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position on the major building project for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Dominick Street, Dublin 1.
I know that Senator Fitzpatrick has done Trojan work on schools and young people in the area and I was delighted to meet with Senator Fitzpatrick at the north inner city youth diversion project recently. Her constant commitment to young people is very much welcome.
I also know that the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is also committed to schools within this area, as he is to young people, including youth diversion projects, and I thank him for his ongoing commitment. I know this school is a priority for both the Senator and the Minister. The major building project for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is included in the Department's construction programme which is being delivered under the national development plan. The brief is to provide for the construction of a 16-classroom primary school, ancillary rooms, library, resource room and a general-purpose hall with basement on a brownfield site at Dominick Street, Dublin 1.
The design team stage 2(b) confirmations and the completion of the prequalification process were completed on 23 September 2022 and the project commenced the tender stage. Tenders were returned on 16 January 2023 and a tender report was received by the Department in February 2023 and is currently under review.
A tender stage normally takes between eight and 12 months to complete. The design team estimated a 24-month construction period. I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I appreciate that this is not the Department of the Minister of State and I appreciate the work that he does in the Department of Justice. The Minister of State is correct in that I am a founding director of youth services and the justice youth diversion programme. I appreciate the support that the Minister of State and his Department is giving to the work of educators, youth service providers and youth workers not just in my own constituency of Dublin Central but right across the country.
I must say to the Minister of State that I am deeply disappointed with this reply which fails to answer the question and completely fails to deal with the fundamental issue that despite the fact that this project has been in process for two decades, and that there are tenders there which can be immediately activated to commence construction, this reply basically says that the tender process will take eight to 12 months and that there will be a 24-month construction period. It is insulting to the people of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, of Dublin Central and of the north inner city that the Government and the Department would give this type of a reply. We want a meaningful reply and do not want to hear Ministers talking about the regeneration of the north inner city when there is a proposal on their desks which could be awarded immediately for a tender to commence construction for a new 16-classroom school which would deal with both the educational and social regeneration of the north inner city.
I need the Minister of State to go back to Government and to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to ask them to take this project off hold and to immediately release an approval so that the construction can commence. Gabhaim buíochas.
I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and Senator Fitzpatrick for her raising of this very important issue around Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. The Department of Education’s published national development plan allocation for 2023 is €860 million. High construction inflation remains a continuing feature of the construction sector for 2023. As part of its planning ahead for 2023, the Department is assessing its work programme and priorities in the context of its available funding. It is also engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in respect of capital funding pressures, in order to continue to be able to adequately support the operation of the school system with the roll-out of school building projects to tender and construction in 2023, and to minimise project delays to the greatest extent possible.
The Department of Education is very conscious of the need to support the operation of the school system and has provided clarity for individual schools about the school building projects. I am aware that Senator Fitzpatrick was absolutely determined to get this school building across the line but I know that the Ministers, Deputies Foley and Donohoe, are also committed to prioritising essential school projects, such as this particular one, Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, for the Dublin inner city area.
Passport Services
This is not the first time I have raised this issue. I am asking that we put an accommodation in our passports to allow those whose names differ from those of their children not to be delayed at passport checks here or abroad and to make it easy to identify that children travelling with an adult are lawfully travelling with him or her, are his or her children or whatever the case may be. This is about flexibility. The issues raised about this issue previously concerned the general data protection regulation, GDPR, which does not really apply because passports contain sensitive personal data in any event. I am asking not for a mandatory provision in a passport but rather an accommodation and flexibility that would allow people to avail of it if is something they need or that suits them. I do not think the GPDR is an issue.
The other answer I received previously was that this is not part of the normal format of a passport but what I am talking about here is not something that would go into the dictated page - the photographed page of a passport that is standard across Europe and presumably most of the world - but rather something that would accommodate that. We have a passport that is beautifully designed. It is a source of enormous pride for Irish people as they hold their passport not just because it is by any metric one of the most valuable and respected passports in the world but also because of the design of the pages themselves. The images on them reflect the depth of the culture we associate with Ireland and Irish people abroad.
Ironically enough, I was in the Passport Office yesterday helping a constituent with a passport issue. It has put images of many old passports on the walls. There was a Free State passport from a lady from the late 1920s. Her children's names were listed on that passport. I also know that in the past, people could put their children on their passport and that was the document they used to travel. I recognise the security issues with that. Again, I am not saying this would be the only travel document for children but several people have contacted me from my local area, particularly women, and in the week of International Women's Day, which is tomorrow, it is appropriate that we would raise this issue. It involves women travelling who have a different name to that of their children, for example, if a woman's name is Murphy but her children have their father's name, which is Byrne. If they go to passport control, not unreasonably, the officer there wants to establish that the children travelling with this woman are her children or are lawfully entitled to travel with her. Those women have to carry the birth certificates of their children with them to identify the children as being their own and it is really cumbersome. I am asking that there be a page opposite the photograph page of the passport, which contains the important identification data about the passport holder, where this information could be contained. The names of the parents could be listed on the child's passport or the children's names on the parents' passports so there is an easy and official way to help border control officials identify children travelling with an adult.
It is done on Irish passports in other spheres. For example, the spouse of an Irish diplomat have a diplomatic passport and information that he or she is the spouse of the ambassador or the first secretary will be listed opposite the photograph page. Diplomatic passports held by Oireachtas Members have information opposite the photograph setting out why they have a diplomatic passport. In my case, it is because I am a Senator and in the case of the Minister of State, it will because he is a Deputy so there is a way this can be done. It will help women, people whose names differ from those of their children and people in same-sex relationships with children. A number of people will benefit from this. What I am talking about is just putting in place an accommodation and modifying the passport not in a way that takes it out of international norms or security requirements that are reasonably there and that we must respect but in a way that accommodates our citizens as they travel across the world. It is something we can do to make Irish citizens' lives easier.
I thank the Senator for a very practical and sensible Commencement matter.
Before I respond to the Senator, I wish to put on record the fact that a phenomenal number of passports were issued by the passport service last year because demand was unprecedented. I expect demand this year will be equally as strong. I visited some of the staff in the service along with the call centre in Limerick recently where 48 people are worked flat out answering calls. On the day I was down there, the centre received 3,000 phone calls and handled them expertly. I thank the professional staff across the passport service for their work.
A passport is an internationally recognised travel document that attests to the identity and nationality of the bearer. The Department follows recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, on the data that is held on the passport. The ICAO is an international body that develops polices and standards for aviation, safety and security. A passport document, therefore, is about safety and security.
All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. The Act provides a legal basis for various policies and procedures that are applied by the passport service in the issuing of passports. Section 10 of the Act provides that a passport will issue in the name of a citizen as it appears on his or her birth certificate or naturalisation certificate.
The function of the data held on a passport is to confirm the passport holder's identity and nationality. The passport service does not include parents' names on children's passports nor is it required by the provisions of the Passports Act.
A passport for a minor under the age of 18 is valid for five years. It is important to note that it is possible that the guardianship circumstances of a child can change. As a result, parental links that were in place at the time of the passport application may subsequently become invalid. The child may also become an adult during the validity period of his or her passport.
A child travelling abroad must have their own passport and cannot be included on his or her parent's passport, which has been recognised by the Senator. The practice of allowing children to be included on a parent's passport is being phased out internationally. This is intended to make international travel more safe and secure for children because we have often heard of the situation where one parent can, if listed as the parent, take the child out of a jurisdiction against the wishes of the other parent. The previous practice of including a child on a parent's passport meant that the child was not identified via photograph prior to travel.
I understand that situations where a parent is travelling with their child who does not share the same surname and the parent is requested to produce further documentation confirming the parental link. Border control authorities may also request extra documentation when children travel either unaccompanied or with an accompanying person who is not their parent. The purpose of border control authorities requesting further documentation is to help combat the trafficking or smuggling of children, as well as to prevent children from absconding or from being abducted. The Senator referred to this particular aspect whereby a mother or parent must produce a birth certificate when travelling because additional documentation may be needed. It is important that the passport service would make that more specifically well known so that people know what to expect rather than find themselves in difficulty for not having a particular document when they arrive at an airport or the other place of trave.
The website of the Department of Foreign Affairs contains information for adults travelling with children and outlines the additional documentation they may be required to carry, depending on the country to which they are travelling. I ask that this be advertised prominently.
The passport service does not have any plans to expand the purpose of a passport to indicate a parental relationship between a child and his or her parent or parents. It will continue to consider ways in which to enhance this essential citizens' service. I know that this is a disappointing response for the Senator but there are no plans in place, notwithstanding the points that he made.
I thank the Minister of State. Before I call on Senator Ward to ask a supplementary question, I would like to welcome a group from St. Mary's school in Arklow, County Wicklow, to the Public Gallery. I hope that they have a very enjoyable day in Leinster House and find it not just enjoyable but informative as well.
I find it difficult to disagree with anything that the Minister of State has said as it is all correct. I join with him in his praise of the passport service. I had another positive experience there yesterday when I went into the Passport Office. The staff are considerate, professional and helpful. In fact, I received a text from a constituent this morning to tell me that he had submitted a passport application for his son on Sunday and received the passport this morning. There is no doubt that we can all be very proud of the passport service.
On the response, I hear what the Minister of State is saying. I do not want to in any diminish the security of our passports. Another feature of the Irish passport is the extent to which it is secure and reliable. The funny thing is what I propose does not diminish that security, first. Second, parents can still go through with the birth certificate but it does not mean that they cannot abduct children from the jurisdiction. Of course, we need to put in place whatever safeguards that we can to prevent that from happening. What I am talking about is not something that is going to compromise the security of the passport. It is something that is going to, as the Minister of State said, "enhance the essential citizens' service" that the passport service provides. Of course, it is something that is not required by the Act but it is something that can be done and it is something that I think we should do in order to enhance the ease of access by Irish citizens to different jurisdictions. There is a real opportunity here.
I am sorry the Department does not see the way that this could happen. I hope they would give it consideration in future without compromising any elements of the Irish passport, to provide an additional measure for Irish parents.
I thank the Senator for the reasonable point he has made. The issue of security has, in a way, trumped the valid points he makes. One can also understand and appreciate cases, and I am sure we all know of such cases, where parents fall out and they have been through courts and through separation. Perhaps one parent is not allowed to have access to his or her own son or daughter, as the case may be. The idea that just because a parent's name is on the passport it might help him or her get through a security check is something we must guard against. That situation could arise during the course of a five-year period when the passport is in operation.
The Irish passport was recently ranked sixth in the global Henley Passport Index, as it provides our citizens with a visa-free access to 188 countries. This is because people recognise the high standards that we have. I encourage the parents of children who are due to travel to review their travel arrangements and the requirements of the country to which they are travelling, in advance of their journey, so they do not meet the difficulties at the far end as Senator Ward has mentioned.
The Passport Office will continue to consider ways through which to enhance this essential service to citizens. I must stress, however, that there are no plans to make changes at the moment.
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, for attending the House. I thank Senator Ward for his Commencement matter.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ag 1.17 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ag 1.30 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.17 p.m. and resumed at 1.30 p.m.