Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 February 2007
37 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the average cost of producing a passport; the number of Irish passports issued by Ireland’s embassies overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3904/07]
View answerPassport fees during 2005 amounted to €32.6 million, with total expenditure at €31 million, giving a surplus of over €1 million. This figure is arrived at using cash-based accounting methods. Using accrual-based accounting methods, involving a depreciation charge for capital investment on the new passport project, there may well be a slight deficit. Overall, however fees and expenditure could be said to break about even.
The above represents an average cost of €45.54 and an average revenue of €47.89. The average revenue reflects the fact that, for instance, passports are issued free of charge to applicants over the age of 65, while there are reduced rates for persons under 18 years of age and infants up to the age of 3.
In 2006 a total of 86,970 passports were issued by our Embassies and Consulates abroad and some 40,000 were issued to Irish citizens in Northern Ireland.
