Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 442: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the projected cost of introducing passports containing biometric information. [34326/04]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Following the decision of the Government on 14 December 2004 to approve the introduction of passports containing biometric information, my Department has launched the procurement process for this project. A notice inviting firms to submit expressions of interest in the project was placed in the EU Journal on 17 December 2004. Based on the evaluation of these expressions of interest, a short list of companies will be drawn up to which the request for tender will be issued next month. It will not be possible to give a firm estimate of the cost of the project until the formal proposals from the short-listed companies have been received and considered and the contract has been awarded.