Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 July 2025
441. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if passenger name record data is used as part of the process to verify whether a person who is not entitled to remain in the State as a result of negative decisions in the international protection system, or upon the expiration of visitor permission, has left the jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40488/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraImplementing effective border security arrangements is a priority for me, and the Programme for Government commits to developing a border security strategy to deliver stronger border security.
I can advise the Deputy that Directive (EU) 2016/681 (EU PNR Directive) sets down rules on the use of PNR data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime. The Directive requires each EU Member State to establish a Passenger information Unit (PIU) with responsibility for the collection and processing of this data for the prevention investigation, detection, and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime. The EU PNR Directive also requires airlines to provide advance PNR information for this purpose to the authorities in respect of non-EU flights entering or leaving the State.
The European Union (Passenger Name Record Data) Regulations 2018, transposed the EU PNR Directive in Ireland. Schedule 2 of the Irish PNR Regulations set out those offences for which PNR data can be processed which must attract a custodial sentence of not less than a minimum of three years.
As both the Directive and the implementing regulation restrict the use to which PNR can be put the information cannot be used for the purposes of verifying departure generally.
