Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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506. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to a situation that arose in the passport office where a person attended to get an Irish passport for their child, who is entitled to it by virtue of section 6A(1) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, as their father was resident here under stamp 4 conditions for at least three out of the four years prior to their birth, and the staff in the passport office refused to accept the application and stated they would have to consult with GNIB as they were unfamiliar with this provision and believed only a child of an Irish citizen was entitled to an Irish passport; his views that staff in the passport office are not aware of these rules; and the steps he will take to ensure that this will not arise again. [2849/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately, the Deputy has provided insufficient information to establish the exact circumstances of this case. However, I can make the following general points. All passport applications received are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008. One of its key provisions is the requirement for applicants to demonstrate their entitlement to Irish citizenship through the submission of documentary evidence with passport application forms. The exact format of the documentary evidence required is detailed in the information notes which accompany all application forms. Staff are trained to process applications of the type referred to by the Deputy and deal with such cases, without difficulty, on a daily basis.

However, in the absence of specific details of this case, it is not possible to comment further on the matter. I would suggest that the Deputy and/or the parents, contact Mr. Kevin Walzer at the Passport Officer in Balbriggan. He can arrange a full examination of the child’s application to see if passport entitlement exists under the Act. His email address and telephone number are and 01.673.3215.