Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 10 Mar 1993

Vol. 427 No. 7

Written Answers. - Passport Charges.

Jim Mitchell

Ceist:

71 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when the cost of the ten year passport was increased to £45; the dates and amounts of the last four price increases for passports; and if, because of the hardship in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 20, he will make arrangements for the issuing of a passport without charging the full amount.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

The fee for the standard 10-year passport was increased to £45 in February, 1992.

The dates and amounts of the last four price increases are as follows:

February 1983	£20.00
March 1983	£30.00
January 1989	£35.00
February 1992	£45.00

At an equivalent annual cost of £4.50, I feel the fee for a standard 10-year passport is not unreasonable. However, as I indicated to the House in response to a previous question on 10 February 1993, I appreciate that the fee of £45 may cause hardship for certain categories of applicants and special provisions are already in place to help reduce this hardship. I do not feel, however, that it would be feasible to extend those special provisions to cover situations of the type described by the Deputy.