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Passport Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 October 2018

Thursday, 18 October 2018

Questions (102)

Declan Breathnach

Question:

102. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of holders of Irish passports that reside in Northern Ireland; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that demand for Irish passports in Northern Ireland has seen a sharp increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42835/18]

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Written answers

No data is kept on the current residence of individuals who have been issued with an Irish passport. The following table outlines the number of passports issued, since 2008, to Irish citizens who were resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their application. An Irish passport issued to an individual over the age of 18 has a maximum validity of 10 years.

Year

Passports issued

2008

31,909

2009

32,183

2010

32,760

2011

30,181

2012

40,526

2013

43,227

2014

46,944

2015

52,861

2016

65,716

2017

75,951

2018*

62,624

*1 January to 30 September 2018

Between 1 January and 30 September this year the Passport Service received 60,452 passport applications from applicants resident in Northern Ireland. This compares to application volumes of 61,815 for the same period last year. While the volume of applications received so far this year indicates a slight decrease on applications compared with last year, the overall annual volumes of applications received and passports issued since the UK Referendum on EU membership in June 2016 remain significantly higher than preceding years.

The Passport Service monitors the overall volume of applications on an ongoing basis to ensure that resources are available to meet demand. Furthermore, the Passport Service has taken steps to proactively project future demand patterns with a particular focus on the potential contribution applications from Northern Ireland and Great Britain may make to overall demand.

Question No. 103 answered with Question No. 101.
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