Fingerprints of asylum-seekers would be entered into a European database but would not be used for criminal investigations in this jurisdiction, the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, said.

The Refugee Act, 1996, made provision for fingerprint data to be collected from asylum-seekers over 14 years of age. The provision brought this State into line with other European states. The purpose of fingerprinting was to detect and deter multiple asylum applications in the State and throughout Dublin Convention countries. They would be entered in a European database.

In the absence of such a database, it would be impossible to detect whether or not an individual had arrived in a European member-state in the first instance.

"It is not the intention to criminalise any individual through the use of fingerprinting," the Minister said. It was proposed that the fingerprints would be retained for 10 years.