Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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The Eurodac database is huge, with 2.3 million individuals, and it will grow substantially as we move forward. There are concerns around access by law enforcement agencies to the database, most notably from the European data protection supervisor. It is not complete access but there is concern that asylum seekers will be criminalised through this process. Why would somebody who has committed no crime be required to give fingerprints as part of a system to have cohesion? The point has been accepted by human rights watchdogs and civil liberties groups. There are reservations about how this database would be utilised and they have learned that law enforcement agencies could access it. What is the Minister's response to the concerns of organisations like Statewatch and the European data protection supervisor that the civil rights of these asylum seekers is being impinged by the regulation?