Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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163. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if, in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare, it is permissible to seek an update of their Stamp 4 or if further provisions are required to facilitate their efforts to obtain a national passport from their homeland which can only be done through the relevant embassy in the UK, having particular regard to the fact that their mother is an Irish citizen, with whom they arrived here in 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19615/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned is the sibling of an Irish born child of non-EEA parents born in the State prior to 1 January, 2005. She was granted temporary permission to remain in the State by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) in April, 2008 on the basis of family dependency. This permission was renewed subsequently on 24 March, 2010 until 23 March, 2013. As this person is now currently out of permission, she should make a formal written renewal request to the INIS, PO Box 10003, Dublin 1. Upon receipt of such request, her case will be examined and a decision made on her future status in the State.

The purpose of a national passport is to establish a person's citizenship and identity so that international travel and residence may be facilitated. Given the importance of ensuring that an immigration permission be availed of only by the person for whom it is intended, it is a fundamental requirement in immigration regimes around the world that foreign national visitors or residents must be in possession of a valid passport so a person's identity can be verified and 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.

Queries in relation to the status of individual Immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek this information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.