Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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27. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in relation to passport applications for individuals under the age of 18 years if a sole guardian affidavit is required to be submitted in the case that there is just one parent/guardian named on the birth certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37805/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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All passports are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008 ("the Act") as amended. With regard to guardianship, the Passport Service is bound by Section 14 of the Act. Section 14 requires the consent of a child’s guardians before a passport can issue to the child, subject to very limited exceptions.

In cases where a child has only one guardian within the meaning of the legislation, this guardian is required to complete a Sole Guardian Affidavit to confirm that there is no other person holding guardianship rights in respect of the child applying for a passport. This is necessary in order to verify that the requirements for guardian consent have been satisfied. While only one parent may be named on a child's birth certificate, circumstances in relation to guardianship may have changed since the child's birth was registered.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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28. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason a renewal passport application is considered on a first-time basis once a period of 15 years from date of issue of the previous passport has elapsed; the reason 15 years is the timescale chosen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37820/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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An adult whose passport was issued more than 15 years ago is required to apply for their next passport as a first time applicant.

All passport applicationsare subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. Section 8 of the Act provides for the processing of personal data by the PassportService as required for the issuance of passports and the maintenance of the integrity of the Passport Service system.

In order to comply with itsobligations under data protection legislation, the Department will hold datathat has been collected for the purposes of processing an application onlyas long as there is a business need to do so in line with the purposes for which it was collected.

In the case of passport issuance, the data will beheld by the Passport Service for 15 years after the date of issuance, asstated in the Passport Service's Data Privacy Notice. After this time the data will be marked for destruction and will be destroyed in line with internal guidelines or guidelines for destruction received from the NationalArchives. A minimum amount of personal data is held beyond this period for the purpose of fraud prevention in order to maintain the integrity of thePassport Service system.

Under Section 7 of the Passports Act, the PassportService may require the applicant to produce such documents as are considerednecessary for the purposes of issuing a passport. In the case of applicants who are applying after more than 15 years since the issuance of their lastpassport, it is also possible that documentary requirements may have changed since the issuance of the last passport.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of a passport application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37915/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.