Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The investigation is at a very early stage and it is important that we get the full facts thereon as early as possible. I am loth to comment specifically on the details on the assertion that has been made.

The Deputy asked whether the current passport technology is safe. It is top class and to a very high specification.

The Deputy is correct about the Dubai incident in that the passports concerned were pre-2005 passports. Perhaps some of the passports in the current case are pre-2005 passports but, to be sure, we must await the emergence of specific details.

The Deputy's point on the number of passports lost is a separate issue. We must acknowledge that, in the modern era, there are people, or agents, who have very significant capacity, despite the most recent technological advances, to continue to attempt to forge and steal identities. Technology experts would advance this point. That said, such offences have not occurred to date in respect of the post-2005 passport to my knowledge.

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