Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish passports known to have been used illegally by persons inside or outside this jurisdiction in each of the past five years to date in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21284/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Records of the number of Irish passports identified as having been used fraudulently are only available from 2008. These figures are:

The Passport Service takes the issue of passport fraud very seriously. Dedicated teams, in each of the Passport Offices, work to identify potential fraud at the time of application. These teams work closely with each other, with An Garda Síochána and with the Passport Services of other jurisdictions, particularly the British Identity and Passport Service. The Passport Service computer system provides the teams with a range of reporting tools to assist in this regard. It is intended that the system will be further extended later this year to include a facial recognition component which will be a major advance in the capture of potential fraudulent applications. The Service is also looking to develop a certified training programme, to be delivered by one of the Institutes of Technology, to increase the skill level of staff working in this specialised area.

The Passports Act, 2008 formalised and codified passport legislation and introduced a series of offences for passport fraud. In March 2009, the first prosecution under the Act was taken against an individual. The person pleaded guilty to the charge of having, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, in his possession or control a passport that is, and that he knew to be, a false passport. The person was sentenced to nine months imprisonment with six months of the sentence suspended.

The introduction of the new APS passport in 2005 and the addition of a biometric feature in October 2006 has greatly enhanced the security of the Irish passport and made it much more difficult to counterfeit. The old pre APS passports are being phased out over the next five years. Given the number of pre APS passports still valid (approximately 2 million), it would not be possible to recall all these documents before their expiry date. Allowing such passports to continue in circulation is in line with international practise.