44. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 273 of 26 May 2026, which did not receive a "follow up with a response with the additional data", when a response will issue. [60315/26]

The Passport Service has reviewed its recorded data since receipt of Parliamentary Question No. 273 of 26 May 2026 and it does not have a breakdown of data relating to the number and proportion of child applications that required additional documentation beyond standard parental consent. The Passport Service apologises for the delay in following up with the Deputy.

All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the Act”). Under Section 14(1) of the Act, the consent of a child’s guardian(s) must be given before the Passport Service can issue them a passport.

In order to protect the integrity of the Irish passport and the rights of the child and their guardian(s), a witnessed Child Identity and Consent form must be submitted for both first time and renewal applications for children.

Where a person is the sole legal guardian, a sole guardian affidavit form, completed in the presence of a solicitor/commissioner for oaths, must be submitted to the Passport Service along with the passport application. This applies to both first time applications and renewals.

Where a court order has dispensed with the consent of one or more guardian(s), the original court order must be submitted to the Passport Service along with the passport application: This applies to both first time applications and renewals.

In terms of the process in place, where a child's guardian is deceased, the Passport Service requests the original death certificate of the deceased guardian in addition to a Sole Guardian Affidavit from the surviving guardian confirming that they are the only guardian of the child.

When one guardian is deceased, it may not always be the case that the surviving parent is the only guardian of the child. For example, a guardian can, in a will or deed, appoint someone else to be a testamentary guardian after he or she dies. In addition, step-parents or other family members may have acquired guardianship of a child following the death of a parent. In order to protect the rights of children and their guardians, the Passport Service needs to confirm each time that it has the consent of all relevant guardians before it can issue a passport.

The Passport Service is continuously looking at ways to make the application process easier for applicants and has met with Widows and Bereaved Parents Ireland to discuss their concerns.

The Passport Service has updated its policy relating to the documentary requirements for children of deceased parents. The death certificate will now only be required to be submitted for the first passport application after the death of a child's guardian and will not be required for any subsequent passport renewal applications.

A number of improvements have been made to the Passport Online platform over the past three years, including a bespoke list of the supporting documents required for passport applicants. When using Passport Online, the information provided by applicants is used to generate a custom coversheet that will provide the applicant with a bespoke list, in plain English, of the documents that they must submit as part of their application.

The Passport Service also has public education materials, including video tutorials and detailed instructions on the application process, available online: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/how-to-apply-for-a-passport/.

Should assistance be required with an application, Customer Service agents are available by phone and webchat services from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The Customer Service Hub can be contacted at +353 1 671 1633, or via the WebChat service: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/contact-us/.