Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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298. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 482 of 11 September 2017, the level of security that is not in the issuing of passports but that is in the issuing of the public services card; his views on the security of passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39866/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of security features within the book and the robust process involved in its issuance. This allows Irish citizens the freedom to visit over 170 countries without applying for a visa.

All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008 (“the Act”), which provides a legal basis for the various policies and practices which are applied by the Passport Service in the issue of passports.

Before issuing a passport to a person, the Minister must be satisfied, among other things, as to the identity of the person. Under the Act, the Minister may require an applicant to provide such information or documents as required to establish his/her identity. It is in keeping with our commitment to upholding the integrity and security of the Irish passport and to combat passport fraud that robust systems and procedures are in place for verification of identity.

The Public Services Card (“PSC”) issued by the Department of Social Protection under their SAFE process is an added practical and effective protection against fraud and identity theft.

As previouslyset out, the Passport Service currently requires the PSC for first time adult applicants and for applicants seeking to replace lost, stolen or damaged passports that were issued prior to 2005. Further, the Government decided on 17July 2017 that the PSC will be required for all passport applications made in the State by the end of 2018.

For security and operational reasons, I cannot set out all the verification checks carried out internally in the Passport Office on applications received.

As previously stated, my Department will ensure that any changes to the passport application process are communicated to the public well in advance and will work with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Social Protection on the practicalities involved.