I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together.
The Passport Service is committed to its obligations under the GDPR and Data Protection Acts 1988-2018, including providing information to the public on the personal data processed for the purpose of assessing passport applications, provision of customer care in relation to passport applications and the issuance of passports. This information is available in its data privacy notice (www.dfa.ie/about-us/our-commitments/privacy-policy/passport-service-privacy-policy/).
This notice, which is updated regularly, also provides information to the public on when passport data may be shared with other public authorities. The Passport Service will only share personal data where it is satisfied that the requesting public authority has a lawful basis for requesting the information and after deeming that the provision of data is both necessary and proportionate.
In addition to this and as part of our ongoing compliance with data protection legislation, in 2022 my Department was party to five data sharing agreements with other public sector bodies, which were published for public consultation (www.gov.ie/en/consultations/?q=&sort_by=published_date&topic=92424-dsga-data-sharing-agreements&page=1) and were signed in line with the full commencement of the Data Sharing and Governance Act (DSGA) 2019. The DSGA gives further effect to the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
It has not been possible for the Passport Service to compile the requested figures in time for the Parliamentary Question response. The Passport Service will follow up with the Deputy directly with the requested information.
