Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

It is all very well for the Minister to say he is reviewing the matter. Most other EU states have laws to prevent such sham marriages and the fact that we do not means that Ireland has become a soft-touch location for such marriages. We are told by reports in the media that there has been intense lobbying of the Government by several EU countries about the growing problem of sham marriages. We also know that since as far back as 2006, the Latvian Government has been making regular approaches to this Government asking for the law to be changed in view of the large number of young Latvian women who have been enticed into this practice. Can the Minister tell us how many other countries have lobbied him to change the law? When are we likely to see some movement in this area, given the level of concern that has been expressed by other EU member states?

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