2173. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the increased measures being taken to protect our borders from migration, especially through Northern Ireland; the level of checks carried out on individuals and families trying to enter the country; what happens when people arrive without passports or documentation; his position in relation to the number coming into Ireland in the context of capacity and pressure on services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60200/26]

2268. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the penalties, sanctions or enforcement actions available in respect of airlines or carriers that transport passengers to the State without valid travel documentation; the number of such actions taken in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60625/26]

2269. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procedures and security protocols in place for verifying the identity of and conducting security and background checks on persons arriving at Irish airports without valid travel documentation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60622/26]

2270. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the policy and legal basis under which persons arriving at Irish ports of entry without valid passports or travel documents may be permitted to enter the State; the authority responsible for approving such procedures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60620/26]

2276. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to clarify issues regarding current border control operations, airport security and immigration procedures in Ireland (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60265/26]

2307. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the mechanisms through which Dáil Éireann exercises legislative and regulatory oversight of border control, immigration screening and airport entry procedures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60629/26]

2374. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any initiative that seeks to re-enforce the requirement that passports and any other required travel documents are checked at all ports of entry to the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61839/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2173, 2268, 2269, 2270, 2276, 2307 and 2374 together.

When a non-EEA national presents at a border, an Immigration Officer must determine whether that person should be granted permission to land and enter the State. In performing their duties, an Officer is required to consider all of the circumstances of the individual at the time of entry. The establishment of a person's identity and nationality is an important feature of our immigration process.

The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department is responsible for frontline immigration functions at Dublin Airport only. Other airports and ports of entry are the responsibility of An Garda Síochána.

People arriving at a port of entry will have their travel documents inspected either by an Immigration Officer or, in certain limited categories, by an electronic system (e-gates). They will also be subject to a Schengen Information System (SIS) check. Under this system, Ireland sends and receives SIS II information (termed "alerts") on persons and objects; for example, persons wanted for criminal purposes, missing persons, and objects that have been stolen or are sought as evidence for judicial purposes.

Section 4(3) of the Immigration Act 2004 sets out the full range of grounds on which a person may be refused permission to land. People can be refused for more than one reason. These include, but are not limited to, arriving without the correct documentation.

When a person is refused permission to land at Dublin Airport, the Immigration Officer will arrange for the person to be referred to An Garda Síochána for removal from the State. The priority is to return them on the next available flight to their last point of embarkation.

If a person indicates, or is identified as being, in need of international protection, they are admitted to the international protection process. I can advise the Deputy that the EU Migration Pact introduces mandatory processing times for international protection applications. Ireland, along with other Member States, will be required to process certain applications within three months under an accelerated procedure. This will apply to, amongst others, people who have misled authorities, for example by destroying identity documents.

Carriers that permit a passenger to travel with their airline or ferry company without the necessary documentation, including where a passenger travels without documents, with false documents, without a visa, or by improperly using genuine documents, may be issued with carrier liability fines by An Garda Síochána.

My Department and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) are working closely with airlines on a range of measures to ensure that passengers have the necessary documentation when boarding. This includes delivering in-person training to relevant airline ground-handling staff on immigration requirements and the detection of false travel documentation. Following the delivery of this training, the BMU provides ongoing support to ensure compliance with immigration requirements and to strengthen capability in detecting false documents and other indicators of irregular migration.

The BMU and GNIB have an ongoing intelligence-led programme of operations on aircraft to detect passengers who have destroyed documents in flight and to identify the point of embarkation of undocumented passengers. Up to the end of July this year, the BMU had carried out 3,653 doorstop operations at Dublin Airport.

Implementing effective border security arrangements is a priority for me as Minister. The Programme for Government commits to developing a border security strategy to deliver stronger border security, ensuring that technology supports border screening, and reviewing the potential for extending pre-clearance mechanisms, such as electronic travel authorisation, to travel from designated third countries. This work is under way.