Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with that. This appears to have been quite a sophisticated operation. Somewhere between disembarking from an aircraft and going through passport control some people were apparently diverted and exited the airport and this seems to have been going on for quite some time.

As the Deputy is aware, a Garda operation targeting illegal immigration led to the arrests of three people, including two employees of Aer Lingus, at Dublin Airport on Sunday night. As there is an ongoing criminal investigation, I cannot say too much at this time. I understand this matter is the subject of a Topical Issue matter allowed by the Ceann Comhairle later today. There will probably be an opportunity for a discussion of a greater length at that time.

We should commend the Garda on its work in this regard. The smuggling of people, by definition, crosses international boundaries. The Garda is working with other police forces. It has a close connection with Europol and Interpol on various strands of its investigations. It is worth pointing out that immigration officers in Dublin Airport process approximately 15 million passengers per annum. Approximately 3,500 passengers were refused permission to land at Dublin Airport last year, with more than 4,000 passengers being refused permission to land across all points of entry. Constant vigilance is required. Cases like this are uncovered and investigated on foot of such vigilance. Responsibility for the security of the airport itself is a matter for the airport authorities.

Significant resources are being invested to secure our borders, for example, through the increased use of technology. The sharing of data with other jurisdictions is very important. We have a particularly close operational relationship with the UK authorities in managing the security of the common travel area between Ireland and the UK, which is so important for the future. The gathering and sharing of relevant information is an important aspect of this co-operation. The immigration and security information sharing arrangements in place between Ireland and the UK are strong and are evolving constantly. That is as it should be. Ireland introduced new regulations last year to enable the UK to collect advance passenger information from Irish carriers in respect of passengers entering the UK from Ireland. The Government is committed to providing the Garda with the necessary resources to enhance its connectivity to a range of EU and other international resources. A great deal of work is going on in this regard. This includes connecting to the Schengen information system and to other EU and Europol information sharing resources that are relevant to countering the terrorist threat. A series of measures is being rolled out at EU level to build on the current framework. Aer Lingus and the Dublin Airport Authority are co-operating fully with the Garda in this investigation. When further details become available, the Government will see to it that an overall security assessment of the airports of Ireland - the regional airports and our main airports - is carried out.

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