Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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800. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the vetting process that will be conducted on the international protection applicants that are due to be placed in the Midlands accommodation centre in Athlone. [45099/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has no role in the management of accommodation for international protection applicants. I can, however, assure the Deputy that the establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of the immigration process in general. When it comes to international protection applicants, each person that enters the process is fingerprinted and photographed. These fingerprints are checked against EURODAC, an EU immigration database which stores the fingerprints of asylum applicants and those who have crossed borders illegally.

Character and conduct checks are also carried out with An Garda Síochána at the point where consideration is being given to granting an applicant refugee status or other permission to remain in the State.

Furthermore, each and every person arriving at a port of entry in the State, or applying for international protection, is subject to Schengen Information System (SIS) check. Ireland sends and receives SIS II information (termed ‘Alerts’) on persons and objects; for example, persons wanted by Member States for criminal purposes, missing persons and objects which have been stolen or are wanted as evidence for a judicial purpose.