12.— (1) The Minister shall refuse to issue a passport to a person if—

(a) the Minister is not satisfied that the person is an Irish citizen,

(b) the Minister is not satisfied as to the identity of the person,

(c) the person would be likely in the opinion of the Minister, after consultation, where appropriate, with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform or the Minister for Defence or both, to engage in conduct that—

(i) might prejudice national security or the security of another state,

(ii) might endanger public safety or order,

(iii) would be contrary to the common good, or

(iv) might endanger that person or others,

(d) the Minister has been notified by the Courts Service that a court in the State has ordered the person (including by way of a condition of a recognisance entered into by the person admitting him or her to bail under the Bail Act 1997) to surrender any passport in his or her possession or, if he or she is not in possession of a passport, to refrain from applying for a passport for so long as the order is in force,

(e) in connection with the application concerned for the issue of a passport, a person (whether or not the applicant)—

(i) knowingly or recklessly provides information or documents that are false or misleading in a material respect, or

(ii) makes a statutory declaration, or swears an affidavit, that is false knowing it to be false or being reckless as to whether it is false,

(f) the person is a child and section 14 is not complied with in relation to the issue of a passport to the child, or

(g) the Minister has been notified by the Courts Service that an order has been made to require the surrender of any child’s passport or to require any person to refrain from applying for a passport for any child so long as the order is in force.

(2) The Minister may refuse to issue a passport to a person if—

(a) the application for the issue of a passport to the person does not comply with section 6, or

(b) the person holds a valid passport and there is no sufficient reason, in the opinion of the Minister, to issue another passport to him or her.

(3) Where the Minister refuses to issue a passport to a person under this section, the Minister shall inform the person by notice in writing of the decision and the grounds for the refusal.