Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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342. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps being taken to ensure that those with criminal convictions in their countries of origin are not being allowed access to the State through the International protection system or through the beneficiaries of temporary protection system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7927/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The establishment of an applicant’s identity and nationality is an important feature of every immigration process and this is especially so in the context of persons who enter the Irish State for the purposes of making a claim for international protection. Each application for international protection is examined in detail on its individual merits, taking all factors into account.

Any and all criminal convictions are considered when processing an international protection application. An Garda Síochána notify the Department of matters which may be relevant to its examination of an application.

Each applicant for international protection has their fingerprints checked against the Eurodac system which allows officials to see if a person has previously applied for international protection in another Member State.

The Deputy should also note that every person that enters the state will go through a SIS check. SIS II is a centralised secure database used by European countries for maintaining information (alerts) related to border security and law enforcement. The integration of SIS II into national systems means that automatic alerts are generated in real-time in instances where, for example, a Garda member or Immigration Officer encounters a person who is wanted for or has been involved in a serious crime in another jurisdiction.

Any person being considered for a grant of status (refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain) will have a character and conduct check (including checks for criminality) carried out in respect of them before any such status is conferred on them.

Permission to remain in the State is typically granted at the discretion of the Minister. Therefore, there is scope for having such a permission revoked, amended or not renewed, on grounds of criminality. Each case will be considered on its own merits and circumstances and in accordance with fair procedures.