Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a valid passport is required for renewal of permission to remain in the State; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that it is impossible for some applicants to obtain a passport because of the exigencies of their circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16000/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The whole purpose of a national passport is to establish a person's citizenship and identity so that international travel and residence may be facilitated. Permission to reside takes the physical form of some type of passport endorsement such as a visa sticker, a residence permit sticker or, as in the Irish case, a residence stamp. Given the importance of ensuring that an immigration permission be availed of only by the person for whom it is intended, it has become a fundamental requirement in immigration regimes around the world that foreign national visitors or residents must be in possession of a valid passport so that the appropriate immigration permission may be placed within it.

While I am aware that people can encounter difficulties in this area, the conditions under which a national passport is issued or renewed is essentially a matter between the citizen and their national government.