Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the investigations into forged Irish passports being used in Dubai earlier this year and a forged passport being used in the USA in July; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36041/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In June I received a copy of the Passport Service investigation into the use of forged Irish passports in a Dubai incident. This investigation reached the conclusion that an Israeli government agency was responsible for the misuse and, most likely, the manufacture of the forged Irish passports associated with the murder in Dubai. As a result of my recommendation to Government, and by way of protest at this unacceptable action, Israel was requested to withdraw a designated member of staff of its Embassy in Dublin. This request was accepted by the Israeli authorities. On Sunday 27 June, U.S. federal agents arrested ten people in the states of New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts for allegedly carrying out long-term, "deep cover" assignments in the United States on behalf of the Russian Federation. A total of eleven defendants, including the ten arrested, were charged with conspiring to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States; while at that time one defendant remained at large. The affidavit lodged by the F.B.I. to justify the bringing of charges against the defendants alleged that one of the defendants travelled to Moscow using a false Irish passport. A search of the Irish passport database confirmed that a valid Irish passport with the same details as those on the alleged false Irish passport had issued in 2001 to an Irish citizen.

On being made aware of these allegations I asked the Passport Service and An Garda Síochána to undertake an investigation into the alleged use of a false Irish passport. This investigation is underway at present and I do not wish, at this stage, to speculate on its conclusions. However, I understand that the Gardaí have since received information alleging that as many as six Irish forged passports using material cloned from the valid passports of Irish citizens may have been involved in the case in question.

I can confirm that a small number of citizens have been interviewed by the Gardaí and the Passport Service and that those whose passport details have allegedly been used are, as a precautionary measure, being issued with replacement passports. None are suspected of any wrongdoing on their part.

Once I have had received the reports of the Garda and the Passport Service, I will consider the evidence before reporting to the Government and recommending any course of action. I will then report to the House.