Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 56: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if a person (details supplied) will be able to apply and receive a passport for their child. [6062/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Passports Act, 2008 requires that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. The person in question was born in Ireland last October. Under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, (1956 Act) persons born in the State after 1 January 2005, where neither parent is an Irish or British citizen or otherwise entitled to reside without restriction in the State or in Northern Ireland, may claim citizenship by birth in the State (and thereby establish eligibility for a passport) only where a parent has been lawfully resident in the State for three years of the four years preceding their birth.

In the case of applications for passports arising from the terms of the 1956 Act, it is the practice of the Passport Service to seek evidence of lawful residence in the State by one or both parents. The types of evidence considered are immigration stamps in passports and Garda National Immigration Bureau cards and registration books.

In this case an application on behalf of the child was presented to the public counter at the Passport Office in Molesworth Street (PPO) last October. On examination of the application and the supporting documentation, it was determined that the applicant's mother had not sufficient lawful residence in the State to demonstrate her daughter's entitlement to Irish citizenship under the 1956 Act. The applicant's mother was informed of this and advised that a passport could not issue to her daughter. As there was no purpose in pursuing the application, it was never registered with the Department.

On 20 October, 2010 solicitors representing the applicant's mother wrote to the Department about her daughter's passport entitlement. This letter included evidence of the mother's residence in the State. This was reviewed by officials in the Passport Service which found that the original decision not to issue a passport was correct. The solicitors were advised of this by the Department in a letter dated 29 November, 2010.

The Department's letter also noted the absence of issued permissions to stay in the State from the Irish immigration authorities during the four year period prior to the child's birth in 2010. This had a direct and negative effect on the calculated amount of reckonable residence for the applicant's mother. It was, however, pointed out that all issues relating to immigration and citizenship are the responsibility of the Department of Justice and Law Reform and that it was a matter for them and their client to pursue such matters with that Department.

To date, no reply from the solicitors has been received. However, if as a result of their contact with the Department of Justice and Law Reform, the applicant's mother is in a position to demonstrate her daughter's entitlement to Irish citizenship, this Department will be in a position to issue a passport on receipt of a completed and witnessed passport application.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 57: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passports issued in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and to date in 2011; the average process time to issue a passport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6109/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The number of passports issued over the period 2007 to 2011 is as follows:

The average time to process a passport submitted through the Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express services available through the post offices is ten days. It takes on average four – six weeks to process all other applications.

Applications with proof of travel may also avail of a fast-track service where passports are guaranteed to be processed within three working days. Applicants should make contact with the Passport Service & provide this proof where applicable. An additional fee will apply in respect of such new applications. This is the fastest turnaround time for all applications except for those whose travel is required for urgent humanitarian reasons. This 3 day service applies to applications submitted in Ireland only.

I intend that sufficient resources are made available to ensure that these processing times are achieved. In this context I can confirm that the first batch of additional temporary seasonal staff for the Passport Service commenced work on 28 March.