Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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123. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding a passport application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53868/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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All passport applications are subject to the provision of Passports Act, 2008 (the Act). The issue of a passport is, therefore, the culmination of an important and legally-binding process. The checks and balances within the passport process embrace the standard principles that are provided for in the Act and help to ensure that the identity of the applicant is known and that the person in question is an Irish citizen. This serves to maintain the worldwide good reputation and integrity of the Irish passport, which, in turn, ensures the safe travel and well-being of Irish citizens, as they travel abroad. Moreover, it helps to combat passport and identity fraud.The Act underpins a long-standing passport policy in regard to the use of verifiable civil documents such civil birth certificates for first-time applicants. These documents confirm the details of a person’s birth name, date and place of birth, all of which are critical components of a person’s identity. The Passport Service received an application from the person in question on 12 March, 2013. It could not be finalised because the person concerned did not provide their civil birth certificate or passport from country of birth. The Passport Service has been in correspondence with the applicant in this regard and, to help the applicant, has recently asked the Irish Embassy in Vietnam to assist in the verification of the individual’s identity.