2026-05-26

This is an issue that I have raised previously relating to a gap in the provision of the passport services. We are very lucky with the Passport Office. It does amazing work. I know from the work that my office does that the response that we get from the Passport Office is consistently excellent, co-operative and helpful. The Passport Office does not decide what goes into the passports insofar as a statutory regime provided for under the Passports Act 2008 dictates what should be in a passport. That is also in line with guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO. An Irish passport is a very valuable document. We occupy a space in the top ten of the international Henley passport index. It is one of the most coveted passports in the world. In no way do I want to interfere with the security or the value of that document. However, there is a situation that primarily affects women. Parents do not necessarily have the same name as their children. When they are travelling internationally with their children, they face difficulties crossing borders because the surname on their passport is different from surname of their children. Therefore, they have to demonstrate in a different way that child is their child, and they are entitled to cross that international frontier with that child. Most parents present a birth certificate of the child that has their name on it and carry it with them. That will solve the problem most of the time. They should not have to do that. We live in an age now where I do not know what proportion of women who get married do not take their husband's name but it has to be substantial. We no longer live in a world where we expect women to take their husband's names. Yet we live in a world where we expect them to carry extra documentation so they can travel internationally with their children. The solution I am suggesting is that opposite the passport picture page where there is a blank page at the moment, there would simply be either on the parent's passport a list of their children's names or a list of their parents' names on the child's passport. It is something that could allow us to circumvent this unnecessary difficulty crossing international borders. I raised this in the Seanad on 7 March 2023. The answers I recieved did not engage with the issue. I was told, for example, that there is a GDPR issue. There is not. Parents can consent to that data being shared. They can also consent on behalf of their children. It is not something that I am saying has to be done. It is something that should be created as an option for parents because it makes lives easier. I was told that it is not the norm, and it is not the norm. Diplomatic passports are issued to members of the diplomatic service. On the passport page opposite the photo page will be the description of why holders have that diplomatic passport. It will state ambassador, ambassador's spouse or whatever it is. There is a precedent for doing this in a certain way. I have been told that it is not in accordance with the guidelines issued by the ICAO. If that is the case, those guidelines need to change because they compromise the ability of the passport to do its job. Of course, first of foremost, the job of the passport is to establish identity and nationally. We could argue that the information in relation to parentage is part of the identity of that child because it helps them to cross an international border. The guidelines of the ICAO are fine and important. The security aspects of them are particularly important. However, we are also a sovereign country and get to decide what goes in our passports. More importantly, we have to remember that the passport is a service that is extended to our citizens. We are not bound by other rules. We passed the Passports Act. We could easily pass a passports (amendment) Act to change this. I ask the Minister of State for a practical accommodation for parents who are currently having difficulty crossing international borders with their children simply because they have a different surname from their children. There is a practical and easy solution to this. I ask that we implement it.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy McEntee. A passport is an internationally recognised travel document which attests to the identity and nationality of the bearer. The passport service follows recommendations from the ICAO, which the Deputy referenced, in relation to data that is held on a passport. The ICAO is an international body that develops policies and standards for aviation safety and security. Internationally, the Irish passport has a strong reputation. The passport service takes seriously its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport and the issuing process. Our passport ranks fourth on the Henley global passport index as it provides citizens visa-free access to 185 countries. All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and procedures that are applied by the passport service in the issuing of passports. Section 10 provides that a passport will issue the name of a citizen as it appears on their birth certificate or naturalisation certificate. The function of the data held on a passport is to confirm the passport holder's identity and nationality. The passport service does not include guardians' names on children's passports, nor is this required by the provisions of the Act. A passport for a minor under the age of 18 is valid for five years. It is important to note that it is possible that the guardianship circumstances of a child can change. The child may also become an adult during the validity period of their passport. A child travelling abroad must have their own passport and cannot be included on their guardian's passport. The practice of allowing children to be included on a guardian's passport is being phased out internationally. This is intended to make international travel more secure for children. The previous practice of including a child on a guardian's passport meant that the child was not identified via photograph prior to travel. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade understands that situations arise where a guardian is travelling with their child who does not share their surname, and the guardian may be requested to produce further documents confirming the guardianship link. Border control authorities may also request extra documentation when children travel either unaccompanied or with an accompanying person who is not their guardian. The purpose of border control authorities requesting further information is to safeguard the rights of children and their guardians. The Department's website contains information for adults travelling with children and outlines additional documentation they may be required to carry, depending on the country to which they are travelling. The passport service does not have any plans to expand the purpose of a passport to indicate a guardianship relationship between a child and their guardians but continues to consider ways in which to enhance their essential citizen service. That is the update from the Minister and the Department. I wait for the Deputy's further contribution, and I will respond accordingly.

I thank the Minister of State very much. I know he is providing the House with a response that has been prepared on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has described it as an "update". It is far from an update. I read through the transcript of what was said in the Seanad on 7 March 2023. There are so many similarities as there to be no update whatever so ever. It is exactly the same issue about what is required. The Minister of State said in his response is that it is not required by the Act. So what? It is required by common sense and we can change the Act to reflect common sense. The Minister of State then told us guardianship can change during the currency of a passport. Of course it can. It is not beyond our systems to have a situation whereby a passport can be amended or whereby, in a change of guardianship, a notification to the Passport Office be required to change or cancel a passport. The Minister of State has also told us that the child may become an adult during the currency of the passport. Of course that is also true, but exactly the same provisions apply. It is totally clear in the question I asked that I am not suggesting that a child would be included on a parent's or guardian's passport. That is clearly outside the parameters of what happens now. It may have happened in the past but it does not happen any more, and that is not the question I am asking. What I am talking about is not about interfering with the identity page of a passport, but on the page opposite that, providing additional details that will help parents to cross international borders with their children who happen to have different names. Here is the most extraordinary thing. Almost exactly the same sentence was stated in the Seanad three years ago as when the Minister of State stated here, "The passport service does not have any plans to expand the purpose of a passport to indicate a guardianship relationship between a child and their guardians but continues to consider ways in which to enhance this essential citizen service." That is exactly the same line that was given three years ago, so here is my final question. What has actually been considered to enhance this service? What has actually changed between now and then to enhance the service we are providing to our citizens, notwithstanding the fact that I have clearly identified a lacuna and a failing of that service to certain citizens who happen not to share their surname with their children?

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. As I said earlier, I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. As the Deputy is aware, passports, in particular children's passports for family holidays, are an important topic for Members as we approach the busy summer travel period. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade wishes to assure Members that the passport service is in an excellent position to deliver on the demand forecast for the rest of the year. Last week alone, 21,000 passports were issued. In relation to the data held in a passport, it is only possible for the passport services to follow the recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The function of the data held in a passport is to confirm the passport holder's identity and nationality. A child travelling abroad must have their own passport and cannot be included on their guardian's passport. The Department strongly urges anyone who is considering travelling overseas, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking their tickets and to apply online for their passports in plenty of time. I have no doubt that Deputy Ward will be following up with the Minister directly on foot of the questions he has posed. With his legal background he will be able to outline precisely the changes he feels could be made on a practical level to reflect the argument he is espousing on behalf of his constituents.