Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
638. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the categories of information that are shared between British immigration authorities and his Department and its agencies regarding movement across the Common Travel Area. [46365/26]
View answer701. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the processes in place for the immigration authorities here to share information with immigration authorities in Northern Ireland and with the immigration authorities in Britain on individuals; if his Department will share details on criminal records with the authorities in Northern Ireland and in Britain and vice versa. [45753/26]
View answer702. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of migrants that left the State and moved to Northern Ireland in each of the past five years. [45754/26]
View answer703. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of migrants that left the State and moved to Britain for each of the past five years. [45755/26]
View answer704. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of migrants that came from Britain, through Northern Ireland to here in each of the past five years. [45756/26]
View answer705. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if a person (details supplied) applied for asylum in the State; if the person was granted asylum; if the person has a record of criminality before arriving here or during their stay in the State; if the Government were aware the person moved to Northern Ireland; and if the Government communicated this information to the authorities in Northern Ireland. [45757/26]
View answer706. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the movements of a man charged in relation to a knife attack in Belfast (details supplied) in the State, including his date of arrival; whether he had a valid visa; whether he applied for international protection; and whether Gardaí were aware of his background. [45758/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 638, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705 and 706 together.
The Government shares the deep concern and dismay of authorities and communities in Northern Ireland at the scenes of violence and unrest last week, including targeting of innocent people, businesses and families within those shared communities. As the person cited is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, I cannot comment on the details of the specific case.
Ireland and the United Kingdom have a shared responsibility and a shared interest in protecting the Common Travel Area (CTA) which provides great advantages to our people both socially and economically. The invisible border on the island of Ireland is among the most tangible gains of the peace process and is essential to the continuing normalisation of relationships.
Last week I discussed the importance of cross border cooperation in protecting the CTA for both Ireland and the UK by phone with the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice, Naomi Long and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hillary Benn. I also spoke yesterday with UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood; we discussed recent events across Northern Ireland, the ongoing need for cross border cooperation and our shared focus on protecting the Common Travel Area.
At the UK Ireland Summit in March it was agreed that further steps would be taken to ensure that the CTA remains secure by working together to expand immigration data sharing arrangements, particularly in preventing abuse of CTA free movement by those not entitled to its benefits.
For security reasons and to protect the integrity of the immigration system, both I and my Department do not comment on specific operational channels of communication with UK immigration authorities. However, I can advise the Deputy that there is extensive engagement and cooperation at all levels between my Department officials and their Home Office counterparts, as well as significant operational cooperation between the Gardaí, UK Border Force, UK policing services and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. This strong practical engagement and cooperation serves the mutual interests of both Ireland and the UK and will continue.
My Department does not collate data on the country a non-EEA national might move to after residing in Ireland, irrespective of the destination. Similarly, my Department does not collate data on the country in which a non-EEA national may have been resident prior to relocating to Ireland.
