Catherine Murphy
Question:432. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are full-time documentary fraud experts working in the Passport Office. [12696/21]
View answerWednesday, 10 March 2021
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The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously.
The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of security features within the book and the robust processes involved in its issuance.
The Integrity Section of the Passport Service was established in 2015 to improve all aspects of fraud detection and prevention in order to protect the integrity of the passport. Staff numbers in the Integrity Section have increased in recent years and new and improved systems have been put in place. This large investment in technology and structures has helped to improve our recording and detecting of fraud.
The Passport Service has Document Validation Officers who have received training in Document Fraud awareness. The Passport Service has access to Document Experts at Forensic Science Ireland and avail of their expertise.