Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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184. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to consider reinstating the exemption for passport fees for those aged 65 and over; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29560/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The standard Irish passport issued to adults is valid for 10 years. Passport fees were last updated in June 2019 and are set out in Statutory Instrument No. 259/2019 - Diplomatic and Consular Fees. At that time the fee for adult passports applied for through the Passport Online service was reduced from €80 to €75. The fee for passports applied for through postal service providers remained at €80.

I am satisfied that, at a cost of €75 for an online application, which breaks down to €7.50 per year, the Irish passport fee compares favourably with services offered elsewhere. There are no plans to offer the option of a passport at a reduced cost.