asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that a child adopted in England by Irish parents cannot hold an Irish passport in its own right; and the action, if any, he intends to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

(Limerick East): The issue of a passport is not a matter for me. A child adopted abroad by a couple one or both of whom are Irish citizens does not automatically become an Irish citizen. It has been the practice, however, to naturalise such a child while of tender years on the application of the Irish parents or one of them, provided that the naturalisation furthers the attainment of a common citizenship by the family.