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

I thank the Senator for the reasonable point he has made. The issue of security has, in a way, trumped the valid points he makes. One can also understand and appreciate cases, and I am sure we all know of such cases, where parents fall out and they have been through courts and through separation. Perhaps one parent is not allowed to have access to his or her own son or daughter, as the case may be. The idea that just because a parent's name is on the passport it might help him or her get through a security check is something we must guard against. That situation could arise during the course of a five-year period when the passport is in operation.

The Irish passport was recently ranked sixth in the global Henley Passport Index, as it provides our citizens with a visa-free access to 188 countries. This is because people recognise the high standards that we have. I encourage the parents of children who are due to travel to review their travel arrangements and the requirements of the country to which they are travelling, in advance of their journey, so they do not meet the difficulties at the far end as Senator Ward has mentioned.

The Passport Office will continue to consider ways through which to enhance this essential service to citizens. I must stress, however, that there are no plans to make changes at the moment.