Vol. 534 No. 3
91 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish passport holders; the number of these who were born in Ireland, north and south; if he will give a breakdown of the holders of the remaining passports; if he has satisfied himself that the issuing of Irish passports has always been carried out in a correct manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10581/01]
It is estimated that there are 2.72 million currently valid Irish passports in circulation. Entitlement to citizenship under Irish law is generous by comparison with citizenship law in other countries. It includes people married to Irish citizens for at least three years, grandchildren, and in some cases great-grandchildren, of people born in Ireland.
It is not possible therefore to give a reasonable accurate estimate of the number of passport holders who were actually born on the island of Ireland. However, we estimate that about 705,000 passports were issued by Irish Embassies and Consulates abroad – about 430,000 by the Embassy of Ireland in London and about 275,000 by our other missions – and the remainder by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork.
I am satisfied that our regulations and checking procedures are sufficient to ensure that only those entitled to Irish citizenship can obtain Irish passports.
