Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Does the Minister accept that all of the indications are that this is a significant problem? The registrar suggested recently that as many as 15% of civil ceremonies could be sham marriages. We also know that there has been a huge increase in the number of non-EU citizens applying for residency based on marriage to an EU citizen. I understand the figure is over 1,000 in the first six months of this year. All the indications are, therefore, that this is a significant problem.

I want the Minister to clarify a number of aspects. First, is it the case that the Attorney General intervened recently to prevent registrars from asking probing questions and advised them that such an approach was not supported by the law? Second, can the Minister tell us now the legal position? Is it a criminal offence to enter a sham marriage for the purposes of circumventing residency rules? Furthermore, is it a criminal offence to assist or facilitate such a marriage?

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