Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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545. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps taken by the Government to ascertain if an asylum seeker has purposefully lost their passport or travel documents; if the aeroplane is searched for travel documents; if the asylum seeker is searched along with their luggage for the travel documents; if fingerprints are taken; and if so, if these fingerprints are cross-referenced against fingerprints taken by other EU member states that are processing asylum seekers. [26288/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department has responsibility for front-line immigration duties at Dublin Airport only. Other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).

Immigration officials conduct passport checks, and run operations as required, to ensure passengers arriving in the State are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004. In addition to this, and in accordance with Section 7 of the Immigration Act 2004, a non-national and their belongings may be searched by an Immigration Officer to ascertain if they are carrying any documents.

For security reasons and to protect the integrity of the immigration system, both I and my Department do not comment on operational procedures of the Border Management Unit or the Garda National Immigration Bureau. However, I can assure the Deputy that the GNIB and the BMU are actively engaging with airport authorities and airlines at a senior level to underscore the importance of passengers possessing correct documentation and to provide support in helping them to reduce the number of passengers boarding flights without the correct documentation.

If a person cannot produce a valid passport, or other equivalent document, then the Immigration Officer will arrange for the person to be referred to the Garda National Immigration Bureau for return on the next practicable flight.

If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection they are admitted to the international protection process in line with our international human rights and legal obligations. The vast majority of those who arrived into the State undocumented applied for international protection.

At the commencement of the international protection process, each applicant has their fingerprints checked against the Eurodac system which allows officials to establish if the applicant has previously applied for international protection in another Member State.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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546. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the State knows the whereabouts of all asylum seekers in Ireland; if so, the number of asylum seekers who are missing; and the number of these who are children. [26289/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Applicants for international protection are required to cooperate with the international protection process. This includes ensuring their Temporary Residence Card is in date and their address is up to date with the International Protection Office (IPO). It is the case that some applicants leave the State without notifying the International Protection Office and choose not to continue with their application.

The International Protection Office (IPO) will write to applicants who are not cooperating with the process at their last known address giving them the opportunity to cooperate. This may include applications involving family groups including children. The IPO copies this letter to their legal representative where known. In the event an applicant does not respond, i.e., continues not cooperating with the process, the IPO will proceed to make a recommendation, up to and including a Deportation Order, on their application based on the information available to it.

While the above arrangements may include applications involving family groups including children, arrangements regarding unaccompanied minors seeking international protection are overseen by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla).