Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

An Garda Síochána has strong evidence relating to sham marriages in the country. I was very concerned for the women being brought into the country, some of them from other member states. We focused on this issue as it can be closely connected to the trafficking of women. We had huge co-operation from registrars and the Department of Social Protection. Operation Vantage has been particularly successful and has resulted in a significant decline in the kind of applications that led to this situation. It is important that we focus on the issue of sham marriages and that we have procedures in place, whether it is with An Garda Síochána or registrars, to ensure these are real and not sham marriages used for the convenience of immigration purposes. We are careful in terms of training and ensuring that proper assessments are carried out.