Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2026
160. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the proportion of international protection applicants classified as minors who presented to IPO offices without any or valid documentation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35666/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected.
The establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of our immigration processes. This is especially so in the context of persons who make a claim for international protection.
All applicants aged 14 years and above who enter the international protection process are fingerprinted and photographed. These fingerprints are checked against Eurodac, an EU database which stores the fingerprints of asylum applicants and those who have been found to cross borders illegally.
If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection they are admitted to the international protection process, regardless of whether they are in possession of travel documents.
When applications are lodged at the International Protection Office (IPO), information provided by applicants in support of their application, including documents concerning their identity, are recorded as part of the applicants file. While the IPO holds information on documents presented on foot of, or in support of, each individual application for international protection, this information is utilised in the examination of the individual application only. Therefore, it is not possible to the provide the information requested by the Deputy.
Under the provisions of the International Protection Act 2015, Section 14 requires the International Protection Office to refer an unaccompanied minor to Tusla. Tusla then carry out an assessment for eligibility for services under the Childcare Acts. Where Tusla find that the applicant is not an unaccompanied minor (UAM), the applicant is returned to the IPO to make their application as an adult. It remains open to the applicant to request a re-assessment based on submission of a valid form of identity which supports these assertions.
The table below shows the number of referrals from the IPO to Tusla for people that have presented as unaccompanied minors from 2023 to date.
|
- |
IPO Referrals to Tusla |
|
2023 |
184 |
|
2024 |
250 |
|
2025 |
336 |
|
2026* |
72 |
*to 11 May 2026
