Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:77. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice the number of fines and cautions imposed on airlines carrying passengers with inappropriate travel documentation. [38192/24]
View answerWednesday, 25 September 2024
Questions (77, 78)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:78. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice to outline the total number of passengers who have arrived in Ireland with inappropriate travel documentation since the start of 2024, in tabular form. [38193/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 78 together.
The establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of our immigration process. 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.
To the end of August of this year the Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department has refused 3,395 individuals leave to land in the State. Of those a total of 1,590 presented with no documents and 672 were identified as false or as imposter.
My Department has recorded a 34% reduction in 2023 in the number of persons arriving in the State without the correct documentation. 2024 has seen a further reduction in the numbers arriving without documentation. This is based on the work that the Border Management Unit is doing with Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
The BMU of my Department is responsible for frontline Immigration at Dublin Airport only, as such the above figures reflect the position at Dublin Airport. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of the GNIB.
The GNIB has responsibility for issuing Carrier Liability, notices and warnings and for the imposition of Carrier Liability Fines on carriers who permit a non-national to travel with their airline or ferry without the necessary documentation i.e. no documents, false document, no visa or improper use of genuine documents.
Last year, the GNIB issued approximately 1,000 fines and approximately 1,100 cautions to carriers.
Before the summer recess I brought forward legalisation which increases penalties for carriers who are found to not have conducted appropriate checks on the documentation of people boarding. The fines for carriers have increased from €3,000 to €5,000.
The BMU and the GNIB are working closely with airlines on a range of measures to ensure that passengers have such documentation when boarding. This includes delivering in-person training to relevant airline ground-handling staff on immigration requirements and false travel documentation. Border Management Unit officials are also available 24/7 to assist airlines with any immigration queries.
BMU and GNIB also have an ongoing intelligence-led programme of operations at airplanes to detect passengers who destroyed documents inflight and to identify the point of embarkation of undocumented passengers.
I also strengthened visa requirements to travel to Ireland, provided funding for an increase in the Garda Airport Liaison Officers network across European transport hubs and assigned additional resources to the Border Management Unit to facilitate disembarkment checks.
Question No. 78 answered with Question No. 77.