Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Mar 1992

Vol. 417 No. 1

Written Answers. - Passport Data.

John Stafford

Ceist:

255 Mr. Stafford asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of, (a) the number of passports issued annually over the past five years by category and (b) the number of reported losses each year; and whether any individual category such as youths/students is above the normal level of losses.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews)

There are four main categories of passports: standard format (32 pages), large format (96 pages), collective passports (issued to school and invalid groups) and emergency passports (issued to Irish citizens abroad whose passports have been lost or stolen and who are in urgent need of travel documents to enable them to return home). In addition, diplomatic and service passports are issued to certain categories of persons travelling abroad on official business, including members of the Government, Irish diplomats and certain members of the civil and public service.

The numbers of these passports issued annually over the past five years are as follows:

Standard Large Collective Emergency Diplomatic Service

1987	194,789	623	450	550	155	0 (a)
1988	202,752	681	456	575	161	168
1989	203,525	735	469	627	144	550
1990	206,236	771	469	794	242	458
1991	203,322	695	474	571	206	392

(a) Service passports were only introduced in 1988.

Under the present computer system, passport losses are recorded with the details of the original application and are not separately filed on the date the loss is reported. It is therefore not possible to give exact figures of losses on an annual basis; however, it is estimated that somewhat less than 1,000 passports are reported missing each year.

Our records do not differentiate between applicants on the basis of age, employment status, or other such criteria and it is therefore not possible to indicate whether any individual category of passport holders has a particularly high rate of losses.

The Passport Office is currently introducing a new computer system which will have a considerably enhanced data and statistical retrieval capacity.