Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his meetings with his Israeli counterpart regarding the use of fake Irish passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9730/10]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when his attention was drawn to the alleged use of fake Irish passports in Dubai; the steps he is taking to address the security concerns arising from this incident; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9731/10]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that security of Irish credit card holders was compromised in the recent incident in Dubai; if so, the steps he is taking to address this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9732/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 to 124, inclusive, together.

The matter raised by the Deputy is extremely serious. The Government takes grave exception to the forgery and misuse of Irish passports. We are deeply concerned that the security of our citizens could have been placed in jeopardy by the misuse of Irish passports and that the excellent reputation which the Irish passport enjoys worldwide as a secure and respected document might have been compromised. The first indication we received of the use of false Irish passports in connection with the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was on 4 February, when local press reports stated that several suspects were believed to have entered Dubai on Irish passports. Our Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Ciarán Madden, immediately contacted the UAE Foreign Ministry to seek clarification, and was informed that they had no information at that time but that the matter was under investigation by the UAE's security services.

On 15 February, the Dubai Chief of Police gave a news conference during which he gave the details of fake Irish passports. The initial press reports contained inaccurate passport numbers and it was only following clarification by the Dubai authorities that we were in a position to identify the passport numbers used. My Department, in cooperation with the Gardaí, immediately commenced an investigation, including by making contact with the Irish citizens whose passport numbers had been stolen. The Dubai police have so far shared with us the details of six fraudulent Irish passports which it claims were used by persons involved in the killing and we have passed these on to the Gardaí. The Gardaí are liaising with the police forces of the other affected countries, including through Interpol.

I have to say that the Government does not have categorical proof of who was responsible for the counterfeit. However, we have noted the large number of media reports which have implicated the Israeli security services. We have also noted the comments of the Dubai police and links to Israel in the case of the forged British passports used by the suspects. On Monday 22 February I met with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr. Avigdor Lieberman, in Brussels and conveyed to him directly that we were treating the misuse of Irish passports very seriously and that we expected that Israel would cooperate fully with the investigations underway and provide any information available. I also asked him for assurances that the Israeli authorities were not involved. Mr. Lieberman said that he had no information on the matter.

In addition to meetings at political level, our Ambassador to Israel has met with the Europe Director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and registered Ireland's serious concern about the security and integrity of Irish passports and the possibility of their being used by any one other than the holder. The Israeli Ambassador to Ireland was invited to Iveagh House last week where senior officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs stressed the seriousness with which the Government viewed the matter. The Ambassador undertook to relay the messages he had received to his authorities. I have discussed the situation with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and we have agreed to cooperate closely and share information. Our Embassies in Berlin, Paris and London remain in close contact with the Foreign Ministries of those countries to ensure a coordinated response.

On Friday last, I spoke to the UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, and assured him of Ireland's cooperation. Ambassador Madden also attended a meeting of EU Ambassadors convened by the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and again stressed our concern for the security of our citizens and our support for the UAE investigation. 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. It is significant that in all cases, the passports were counterfeit versions of the old Irish passport which was replaced in 2005 by the modern APS Irish passport. The older passports 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 them extremely difficult to reproduce and we have not experienced any credible attempt to reproduce the new version.

Our primary focus in all of this has been to guarantee the security of the Irish citizens affected. We have now spoken to all of the citizens who hold or have held passports with the numbers provided by the Dubai authorities. We are of course providing them with new passports. Given that it was solely the number of their passports which was involved, as opposed to their identities, I am satisfied that having received new passports they will not be in any danger. We have received no indication that the security of Irish credit card holders was compromised in the incident. That being said, the investigations are ongoing and I can not rule out further developments. If we receive any such information we will of course take all necessary steps, in cooperation with the Gardaí, to address the situation.