Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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52. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passports issued but subsequently revoked and or voided due to the fact they were obtained by fraud and or deception in the past ten years to date; the jurisdiction the offence occurred in each instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38182/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish Passport very seriously.

The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of security features within the book and the robust processes involved in its issuance. 

The Integrity Section of the Passport Service was established in 2015 to improve all aspects of fraud detection and prevention in order to protect the integrity of the passport. Staff numbers in the Integrity Section have increased in recent years and new and improved systems have been put in place. This large investment in technology and structures has helped to improve our recording and detecting of Fraud.

For operational and security reasons, it is not possible to disclose information concerning specific cases. 

Due to lack of records it is not possible to provide the figures requested prior to 2016. Since 2016, the total number of Irish passports that were cancelled by the Passport Service because of suspected fraud are as follows:

*to June 30 2019