Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

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.