asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of current Irish passport holders around the world in 1986 or the last year for which figures are available; the average number of applicants for new passports per annum; and the income to the State from all Irish passport holders per annum.

The standard Irish passport is issued with a validity of ten years. In the ten years ending 31 December 1986, 1,424,155 passports were issued by the Passport Office at Dublin and our missions abroad. The average number of applicants per annum is 142,415. The income to the State from passports in 1986 is estimated at £4,300,000.

We will now move on to questions nominated for priority.