Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Michael McDowell (IND), National University of Ireland

These amendments relate to data collection. While I disagreed with Senator Higgins about face coverings, I do not want it to be understood that I disagree with her in relation to the procedure we are following today. This particular set of very elaborate legislative measures being introduced by the Minister should not be introduced for debate on Report Stage in the Seanad in circumstances such as we have now, even if they have been recommitted for discussion.
I have some questions for the Minister on these provisions. We were told, whether it is true or not, that the perpetrator of the knife attack that happened in Belfast had travelled from Somalia or Sudan via Paris to Dublin and then onwards to Belfast. I was interested to see that this gave rise to some apprehension about closing the Border or having a closed Border, given that the Minister has stated that the great majority of the bogus asylum-seeking traffic seems to be going from the UK to Ireland via Belfast. Is it the case that airlines will have to keep a record of the passport of a person boarding an intra-EU flight? If somebody gets a flight from Paris to Dublin, will that person's photograph and identification document be recorded somewhere and be available to the Irish authorities to check? The point that occurred to me about that side issue in the Belfast disorder was whether there is some check at Dublin Airport where a person like that is flying from Africa to Paris to Dublin and intends to go to Belfast. Is there actually a record, or will there be under this regime, if implemented, including photographs or photocopies of passports, with a view to determining whether the person who has come to Ireland to go to the UK to claim asylum has travelled through a safe country? That is a question a lot of people wondered about in the aftermath of the Belfast disorder.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:09+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02