Record number of passports to be issued
A record 650,000 Irish passports will be issued this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said tonight.
The unprecedented supply will generate €33m for the Exchequer.
The number of passports issued in the first five months of this year jumped by 12% with 73,000 generated in May alone.
Mr Ahern added: “My department expects the projected figure for 2005 to be 650,000 – a record figure when compared to 600,000 last year.”
He attributed the rise in passports to the growth in the Irish economy as well as EU enlargement and cheaper airfares encouraging people to travel.
New rules stopping children from travelling on their parents’ passports also contributed.
Mr Ahern said that new passports with sophisticated security features had received widespread praise for their quality.
The minister also told the Select Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs that 2005 aid for overseas emigrants has been increased by 64% to €8.3m.
“This is the highest amount ever allocated and is a very important milestone in our developing relationship with our community abroad,” he added.
This year’s Overseas Development Aid allocation will reach 546m when contributions from all government departments are factored in, the committee heard.
