John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the arrangements his Department has in place to identify Irish citizens living in Taiwan, should the circumstances arise; the arrangements in place for the same citizens to renew their Irish passports or to obtain Irish passports for their children within Taiwan; the contact details for officials within Taiwan dealing with these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5353/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Ireland adheres to the One China policy and does not recognise Taiwan as a State. As a result, Ireland does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan and does not have an Embassy in Taipei. Irish citizens travelling to, or resident in, Taiwan can register their details on the Citizens’ Registration facility on the Department’s website at www.dfa.ie. The Citizen’s Registration service is a voluntary service which encourages Irish citizens travelling or living overseas to register their contact details with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This means that in the event of an unforeseen crisis such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, the Department can proactively contact the citizen, ensure they are safe, keep them informed of any evacuation plans and provide assistance where necessary.

Citizens resident in Taiwan are advised to submit their passport applications through the Irish Embassy in Beijing. The turnaround time averages about 4-6 weeks which is the equivalent turnaround time for citizens resident in the UK. Additionally, citizens requiring passport information may also contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin on +353 (0) 1 408 2000.

If Irish citizens are in difficulty in Taiwan and require Consular Assistance, they can call our Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin on +353 (0) 1 408 2000. They can also email the Department using the ‘Travel Advice’, ‘Consular Assistance’ or ‘Passport Office’ options in the dropdown menu of the contact details page of the Department’s website.