John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on allowing people who are approaching 65 years of age to renew their passports until their 65th birthday in order that they can benefit from the free passport for senior citizens scheme when they reach 65; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36046/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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A passport is normally issued for ten years, and the fees to be charged are laid down by a Statutory Instrument. There is no provision in this Statutory Instrument to permit the Passport Office to waive the fee for persons aged less than 65 years. Apart from the legal dimension, the reality also is that, if this generous concessionary scheme is to work satisfactorily, there has to be a fixed starting date for the scheme and fixed qualifications for persons to benefit under it.

However, and unless the passport holder has immediate travel plans, new passports do not, of course, have to be applied for on, or be valid from, the date when the previous passport expired. A person approaching 65 years may well wish, therefore, to wait until they reach that age and then apply for a free passport.