Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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271. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures that a peace commissioner can take to establish the reason that their signature was refused by a Government body (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12415/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In order to verify the identity of a passport applicant and, in the case of children, the consent of their guardians, the Passport Service requires certain forms to be witnessed.

While Peace Commissioners are included on the list of approved witnesses accepted by the Passport Service, there are certain applications for applicants resident in Ireland that must be witnessed by a member of an Garda Síochána. These include:

- All Passport Express applications - Section 9 Certificate of Identity

- First time adult online applications  - Identity Verification Form

- First time child online applications - Child Passport Identity and Consent Form (Guardian A)

Peace Commissioners in Ireland can witness the following:

- Child Passport Express applications - Section 7 Consent of Guardians (only) 

- Child online renewal applications - Child Identity and Consent Form

In the absence of any details about the application in question, the Passport Service is unable to confirm why the witness was rejected. However, if the Peace Commissioner referred to by the Deputy signed a form that is required to be signed by a Garda as outlined above, the Passport Service would request a new form witnessed by a Garda.