Michael Conaghan (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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206. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is in a position to provide five-year passports for senior citizens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15187/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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A reduced term of validity for children’s passports is necessary as children’s appearances change significantly within a short period of years, which can lead to uncertainty regarding the identity of the passport holder. This is not generally the case for adults of any age and it is the norm internationally to provide standard validity passports to all adults. Introducing an arrangement whereby adults of any age would be eligible to apply for a passport for a period of less than 10 years would increase the total demand for passports on an ongoing basis and would require the recruitment of additional staff in the Passport Offices to cope with increased demand. For these reasons, there are no plans to introduce a passport of less than 10 year validity for adult applicants, regardless of age.