Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I do not accept the whole thing is a sham or that we do not know. We are part of a common travel area with Great Britain and because of that there is a substantial amount of movement between both jurisdictions on which we are doing much study at present. It is clear that quite a number of the unaccounted for asylum seekers are in other jurisdictions.

The Deputy is aware that trafficking legislation is now before the House and that Operation Pentameter, which is an intelligence-driven operation to detect the incidence of trafficking throughout these islands, is now under way with the Garda Síochána working closely with the numerous police forces that exist in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to tackle this phenomenon. Regarding asylum claims being used as a cover for trafficking, a number of different routes are used to try to evade our border control legislation. It would not be fair for me, as Minister, to single out the asylum applicant in isolation in that context. There is evidence that persons who have an expired visa and presence in the United Kingdom transfer to this jurisdiction and claim asylum.

If a person being trafficked is from outside the European Union frontiers a variety of devices can be resorted to, whether by seeking a holiday or student visa or by making an asylum claim, that can lead to the person being brought into the jurisdiction. The circumstances are legion in a world of globalisation with a great deal of international movement of persons. However, the Garda is keeping a vigilant eye on the phenomenon and threat of trafficking in this jurisdiction.

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