Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In March, the High Court struck down returns to the UK. The judgment states that in October 2021:

the UK authorities advised that the Applicant had been convicted on an offence [...] in the UK and was in consequence registered as a sex offender. It appears that this information had been redacted by reason of data protection concerns before being placed on [his] immigration file.

It also states:

an "alert" was subsequently created on the 14th of January, 2022 on Applicant A's file [...] on the Minister’s database. It seems that it was only on the 14th of December, 2023, that an official in the [...] Department noticed the "alert".

The judgment also stated:

it cannot be overlooked that information relating to Applicant A's conviction for a sexual offence was in the possession of the Minister's agents since October, 2021 without steps being taken to raise with Applicant A his obligations under Irish law to register as a sex offender[...]. I am troubled that this fact has not come to light sooner given the purpose of maintaining a sex offenders register as a safety and control measure in the public interest.

Does the Tánaiste have confidence in the Department of Justice and the stewardship of that Department?

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