Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

We all know what the started the passport affair, namely, the incident in Dubai last February. The Minister said this incident related to one of the pre-2005 passports. I presume the passport to which he referred is the one with the plastic-covered picture. Has he any idea what passport was used by the individual on the trip to Russia? What type of passport was used by the one and only Richard Murphy in that case? It is important to find out whether the automatic passport system was used.

The Minister stated the new e-passport is quite secure. Thirty-three thousand passports were stolen, mislaid or lost in Ireland last year. This represents approximately 6% of the passports issued in 2009. Is the Minister happy that the e-passport is secure and that Irish citizens feel safe using it? That is an important question.

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