I want to ask the Tánaiste about the policy of first-time passport applicants requiring gardaí to verify their identity. Every Deputy in the House will have been frustrated by cases where a passport could not be issued because a name could not be found in a book in a Garda station or a contact not made. One can imagine the frustration of my constituent, Sinead, who has had her application rejected twice because a name could not be found in the book.

In six counties on the island it is not the police service alone that is required for identity verification, as other trusted local office holders can do it. Will the Tánaiste consider reviewing the mechanism and the process to free up Garda time, to improve what is otherwise a very good public service and to strengthen identity verification by involving other office holders?

I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He raises an interesting and fair point, and it is one that comes up quite a lot. I will certainly commit to engaging with the Minister for Justice on this. We are going through a period of reform in the passport service. Many challenges that used to exist, including delays in getting passports, are, thankfully, gone. Many people are pleasantly shocked at how quickly their passport arrives. I accept that as we move through reform this is an interesting point. Integrity and child protection are issues that Deputy McAuliffe and I value but is there a better or more efficient way to do this? Not all Garda stations are open at every time of the day. I accept there are real challenges. I will talk to the Minister for Justice and the Passport Office and I am happy to meet Deputy McAuliffe on this to see what we can do.