Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 282: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures he intends to take in order that passport applicants in their earlysixties, particularly those aged 64, would not have to pay €75 for a ten-year passport when, at the age of 65, they are entitled to a passport for free; his views on extending the five year or reactivating the one year passport schemes for such applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8064/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I refer the Deputy to the answer which I provided to Deputy Gilmore on 21 February last.

The waiving of the passport fee for senior citizens, which I introduced with effect from 1 August last, was to further recognise the life-long contribution to society of our senior citizens. It builds upon the existing free public transport, TV licence, phone and electricity schemes for older people. All these schemes operate on the basis that they are available to those who have reached the required age.

In addition to the above, infants up to age three are issued with a three-year passport, and minors aged between three and 17 years are issued with a five-year passport. All these arrangements are fair and innovative and, given the huge administrative burden on the Passport Office — some 750,000 passports are likely to be issued in 2006 — I do not consider it reasonable or desirable to consider introducing further categories of fees at this time.