Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

All those seeking asylum are fingerprinted when they come into the country under the Eurodac system. In 2024, 67% of completed appeals were rejected, and so far in 2025, more than 80% of applications have been rejected at first instance.

I accept the Deputy's point if people are here. It is neither fair to the person nor to the country if this system is allowed to drag out for years and years. The focus in the past number of years has been on tightening up and speeding up the process itself.

We have more than doubled the number of deportation orders signed over the same period last year. The specifics are that 3,583 orders have been signed in 2025 compared to 1,792 this time last year. That is what it says on the note I have but I thought it was a higher figure. There has been about a 40% reduction in the numbers of people arriving here claiming asylum. However, there are issues we need to tighten up on.

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