As the Deputy will be aware, the International Protection Act was signed into law last month, giving effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.
My Department continues to focus on preparing for the commencement of the Act on 12 June 2026, which is the day on which the measures of the Pact come into effect.
The new Eurodac Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1358) expands the data collection requirement to individuals aged six and older; it broadens data collection to include facial images and travel documents.
It also extends the system's purpose beyond determining asylum responsibility to include law enforcement, children protection, and the control of irregular migration.
The Deputy should note that at this point the International Protection Act 2026 has not yet been commenced, and the relevant law in this area for the present remains the International Protection Act 2015 and the 2013 Eurodac Regulation.
The provisions of Part 6 of the Act implement the new Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, which replaces the Dublin III Regulation, and includes provisions which the Deputy refers to in relation to information sharing with other Member States of the European Union. The Regulation does not come into force until 12 June 2026. The existence of a Eurodac “hit” will assist the identification of applications whose applications should be dealt with by another Member State in accordance with that Regulation.
