Dáil debates

Wednesday, 29 November 2023

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

 

12:50 pm

Photo of Christopher O'SullivanChristopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a very serious issue that is brought to my attention on a regular basis, namely the problems encountered by parents and guardians when they travel abroad with their own children. Mothers who may have chosen to keep their maiden name after marriage are being stopped by security, in some instances, because their surname does not match the surname on their children's passports. They are being detained by immigration officers and are being interrogated, in some instances for hours, simply because their surname does not match their children's surname. It is absolutely ridiculous that this is happening in 2023. Families have to bring extra documentation with them such as birth certificates. In some instances, and this is true, women are choosing double-barrel names just so the name matches that on their children's passports. The solution is very simple. If we were to make a provision on children's passports so that both guardians' or both parents' names were included on the passport, that would solve the problem. Can we make it happen?

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