Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Irish citizens travelling to and from England have been fingerprinted by immigration officers at Holyhead (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10797/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On receiving notification of this case, I asked the Embassy of Ireland, London, to raise the matter with the British authorities. The reply received from the British Home Office was that immigration officers at Holyhead carry out this type of spot check on travellers to try and identify suspected or failed asylum seekers. Immigration officers use equipment which scans a single fingerprint. The digital information can then be sent to a national database against which it is compared. This database contains the fingerprints and details of failed asylum seekers.

We have been assured by the Home Office that when an Irish passport or piece of Irish identification is produced to the immigration officer, then almost certainly the fingerprint will not be taken. The person in question has not been in direct contact with my Department and I am, therefore, not aware of whether such identification was produced at the time the fingerprint was requested.

The issue of border controls within the common travel area is the subject of regular discussions with the British authorities. In addition to the discussions between the embassy in London and the British authorities, for example, officials from my Department met with British officials in London on 1 December. The meeting was held at a senior level and the British side was led by the National Co-ordinator for Ports Policing. The focus of the meeting was on steps that can be taken by the British to reassure passengers, minimise inconvenience and avoid unnecessary anxiety, offence and delays. My officials stressed the importance of ensuring that travellers are properly informed of the procedures in place and that the reasons for carrying out certain checks are fully explained to them.

Should the person in question require any further clarification with the British authorities, I would be happy to have the matter followed up.