Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason three suspects in the execution of a person, a Hamas commander in Dubai, were in possession of Irish passports; if they were real, or forged, passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8856/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will understand that for the moment it would be premature and irresponsible for me to pronounce on the reason why false Irish passports were used in the assassination Mahmouh al Mabhouh on 20 January. I want to be perfectly clear that the supposed Irish passports were in fact fakes. The passport numbers corresponded to the numbers on genuine Irish passports. However, the photographs, signatures and identities were falsified. In all cases, the passports were counterfeit versions of the old Irish passport which was replaced in 2005 by the modern APS Irish passport. However, these are gradually being phased out over the next 5 years. In addition, since October 2006, all new Irish passports have a biometric chip embedded in the personal details page. This makes it even more difficult to alter.

The matter is still under investigation by my Department and the Gardaí, as well as by the authorities of the United Arab Emirates, France, Britain and Germany, and I would not wish to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation of such a sensitive matter. It remains unclear how the suspects came to be in possession of false Irish passports. I can assure the Deputy that, regardless of who was responsible, the Government takes grave exception to the forgery and misuse of Irish passports.

The Irish passport enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide, and the APS passport is considered a world leader in terms of the security of passports. This incident represents a threat to the reputation and integrity of our passport system, and moreover to the security of our citizens, and will be treated with the utmost seriousness.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 312: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action that is being taken to prevent the forgery of Irish passports; and the obstacles that are in place to prevent the forgery of Irish passports. [8857/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The current Irish passport is widely regarded and respected throughout the world as being of the highest quality. In recent years there has been very significant investment in enhancing the security features of the passport book to ensure that our citizens can travel in safety.

In 2005 my Department introduced a new Automatic Passport System (APS) which fundamentally redesigned the Irish passport. This new system involved the production of a more secure Irish passport personal details page (datapage). This new datapage is a polycarbonate substance containing the personal details and the photograph of the holder. The use of this polycarbonate makes it virtually impossible to reproduce without sophisticated production processes or alter without being detected by using standard examination techniques. The personal information is laser engraved to a level under the surface of the polycarbonate, making photo substitution impossible. The polycarbonate page is further protected by a series of additional production security measures which include the image of the applicant perforated through the datapage, optically variable ink and the use micro text.

In 2006 the security features of the APS passport, were further enhanced with the development of a new ePassport. The ePassport includes a new additional microchip, containing a digital image of the passport holder. This now means the image of the face is presented in three areas – the photo on the personal details page, the laser perforation through the personal details page and on the chip. All three must match and all three are impossible to alter without the alteration being easily detected. Data on the microchip is further protected using encryption technologies.

Passport forgery is a worldwide phenomenon and its solution requires the co-operation of all States. The development of passport security standards is under constant review by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Irish Passport Service works closely with ICAO and other passport agencies worldwide to ensure that these standards make passport forgery more difficult.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 313: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the discussions which have taken place between this country and Dubai since the recent apprehension of three persons suspected of murder, all of whom were found in possession of Irish passports. [8858/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Immediately following publication on 4 February of local press reports that several suspects in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh were believed to have entered Dubai on Irish passports, the Ambassador of Ireland to the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Ciarán Madden, contacted the UAE Foreign Ministry to seek clarification as to the veracity of these reports. On 8 February Ambassador Madden was received at the UAE Foreign Ministry and was informed that they had no information at that time but that the matter was under investigation.

Subsequently, on 15 February, the Dubai Chief of Police gave a news conference during which he gave the details of fake Irish passports. My Department, in cooperation with the Gardaí, immediately commenced an investigation into the apparent use of fraudulent Irish passports, including by making contact with the Irish citizens whose passport numbers had been stolen. Ambassador Madden has of course maintained close contact with the UAE Foreign Ministry, along with his German, French and British counterparts, and the Dubai police have shared with us the details of the fraudulent passports which were used.

On 18 February, the Political Director of this Department met with the new Ambassador of the UAE to Ireland, H.E. Khalid Nasser Rashed Lootah, who was in Dublin to present his credentials. He expressed to him our strong concerns about the use of Irish passports by those suspected of carrying out the assassination. Ambassador Lootah said that he fully understood our concerns and assured us that any information he received from his authorities would be relayed to us.

I also received a phone call from the UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, during which I assured him of Ireland's cooperation in relation to this very serious incident. Following on from this, on 21 February, Ambassador Madden attended a meeting of EU Ambassadors convened by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE, Dr. Anwar Gargash, regarding the murder of Mahmoud al Mabhouh in Dubai, and Ambassador Madden again stressed our concern for the security of Irish citizens and our support for the UAE investigation.

We continue to cooperate closely with the UAE authorities, together with the Foreign Ministries of Germany, France and the UK, to establish the exact facts of the case.