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.

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