Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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276. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport cards issued in the years 2015, 2016 and to date in 2017; his plans to promote this service; and his further plans to make reforms to this service. [15129/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service has issued a total of over 42,000 passport cards since the launch in October 2015 (see the table). The convenience of the card in facilitating travel to 31 countries in Europe, along with its portability and innovative security features, have clearly resonated with the public and I am very pleased with its success to date.

I will launch a new online service for adult passport renewals shortly. As part of this service, citizens will be offered an option to apply for the passport card and passport book at the same time and at a reduced fee. I expect that the ease with which citizens will be able to apply for a passport card while renewing their passport book online will further drive strong uptake of the card.

A promotional campaign will accompany the launch of the online passport renewal service. The passport card, as an integral part of the online service, will benefit from the increased publicity and levels of public awareness resulting from this campaign.

An annual breakdown of passport cards issued is set out in the following table.