Cathal Crowe
Question:316. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) was granted an Irish passport. [5291/21]
View answerWednesday, 3 February 2021
Questions (316)
Written answers
All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008. The Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement.
Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.
An individual born on the island of Ireland before 2005 is automatically an Irish citizen. For individuals born outside of Ireland, they may claim citizenship if they had at least one parent who was born in the island of Ireland before 2005.
Individuals born outside of Ireland can also claim citizenship through a parent who was not born in Ireland but was an Irish citizen at the time of the individual's birth, or through a grandparent born in Ireland. Individuals who wish to claim citizenship through these means must have his/her birth entered on the Foreign Births Register (FBR). Citizenship commences after inclusion on the FBR. Further details regarding the process can be consulted at the Passport Service's website.
An individual may apply for Irish citizenship through naturalisation. Minimum residency terms must be satisfied before an individual is eligible for citizenship through naturalisation. The Department of Justice is responsible for citizenship matters, including applications for naturalisation.
With regards to the details supplied, in the absence of evidence of a representation from the data subject or consent received to make a representation on the data subject’s behalf, the Passport Service does not have a legal basis to provide the Deputy with the personal data sought in this instance.