Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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521. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on a passport with a reduced validity period as an option for elderly persons. [18497/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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It is the norm internationally to provide passports of a ten year standard validity to all adults. 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. However this is not generally the case for adults of any age. Furthermore 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.