Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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138. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason Ireland frequently insists that families seeking reunification under the Dublin III regulation undergo DNA testing to prove the familial relationship in cases where substantial documentary evidence of the familial relationship exists and has been provided (details supplied). [34512/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC), the independent agency responsible for assessing take charge applications from other Member States, that where a request to take charge of an asylum application for family reasons is received, proof of that familial relationship is required. Often supporting documentary proof is not available, is incomplete or is not capable of being authenticated with a reasonable degree of certainty. In the limited number of such cases, the results of biometric tests can provide a greater degree of certainty of a family link. This is particularly important in the case of a transfer involving a minor or other vulnerable person so as to ensure that they are being placed in the right family unit in the interests of their welfare and safety, as required by law.

I would point out that the primary purpose of the EU Dublin Regulation is the determination of the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection (usually the country where the asylum application is first made) and not family reunification which the Department operates under separate legal provisions.