Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 36: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the 2011 budget measure introducing fees for passports for older persons will be reversed or ameliorated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8929/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The decision to re-introduce fees for citizens aged 65 or over was taken by the previous Government. The measure, which was announced in the Budget last December, took effect from 11 April 2011, which was the date set out in Statutory Instrument 47/2011 signed by the then Taoiseach and acting Minister for Foreign Affairs on 3 February 2011. Based on an estimated figure of 30,000 applications from those aged 65 or over during 2011, the cost of exempting those aged 65 and over from passport fees was estimated to be €2.4 million in 2011 in terms of lost revenue. This figure is based on a figure of 45,000 persons aged 65 and over having applied for passports in the full year in 2010.

Were the Passport Office to charge a reduced fee for those aged 65 and over or for any other category of adult applicants, this would increase further the gap between the revenue generated through passport fees and the cost of producing passports. Any shortfall would have to be met by the taxpayer. Given the impact on revenue of any decision to waive or reduce fees for passport applicants aged 65 and over, I have no plans to introduce any such measures at this time.

I would emphasise that the annualised fee for a standard Irish passport compares favourably with many other jurisdictions. At €8 per year the Irish passport fee compares with approximately €9 per year for a British passport, €9 per year for a French passport, €8 per year for a Danish passport, €10 per year for a United States passport and €15 per year for an Australian passport.