187 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is unable to get a birth certificate or a passport and wants to travel out of the country for the first time in June 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12127/07]

A birth certificate is an essential piece of documentation in order to obtain a passport. The Office of the Registrar General has responsibility for records relating to Births, Marriages and Deaths in the State.

The Department contacted the Office of the Registrar General regarding the difficulties in obtaining a birth certificate in the case in question. The Office has told us that, to enable registration of birth to take place, the Informant who is to make the declaration (i.e. the remaining family member in this case) normally attends at the Office of the Registrar in order to sign the birth register. However, in a case where the Informant is resident abroad and physically unable to travel to Ireland, the General Registrar's Office may dispense with this requirement.

It is suggested that the applicant should now contact the General Registrar's Office and explain the situation fully. Once the birth has been registered, the Passport Office will assist in issuing a passport to ensure that she may travel in June.