Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The recent arrests at Dublin Airport pose the most serious questions about security at the facility. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste, who is present, must order a high-level review into the current security systems in use at the airport. At the very least, those systems appear to be quite porous and will cause major concern among the tens of millions of people travelling through the airport every year. We cannot underestimate just how many jobs are dependent on Dublin Airport, which is a key engine of the Irish economy. To have any doubt cast on the airport's security status is deeply worrying. It is very welcome that the Garda National Immigration Bureau has upped its surveillance with regard to people trafficking in the past year and a half but we must consider the totality of security, including at other airports and points of entry throughout the country.

We know people-smuggling is widespread throughout the world. It is an evil and lucrative trade, often involving women and young people who are forced into what is effectively sexual slavery and prostitution. Very often families and the people themselves run up enormous debts to traffickers. When I was Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, I introduced legislation to give enhanced powers to social welfare officials and officers present at airports and ports to identify people entering and leaving Ireland in a bid to clamp down on benefit tourism. That initiative was very successful and we must send out a message that Ireland is not a soft touch on security. I would like to hear the Tánaiste respond in respect of the obvious need for a high-level review of security arrangements at airports and ports.

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