The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has expressed concern at the introduction today of new legislation permitting biometric data to be included on visas and residential permits for non-EU nationals.
The motion, which will see fingerprints and digital facial images detailed on such documents from 2005, was "sneaked" through in the Dáil this afternoon according to the ICCL.
It is also claimed that though these measures will initially apply to migrant workers, international students and refugees, there are also plans to introduce such legislation for EU residents.
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"We are very disturbed that yet another measure with serious civil liberties implications is being rushed through the Dáil without debate," said Ms Aisling Reidy, Director of the ICCL.
"This comes at the same time as debate on the European Arrest Warrant Bill, legislation that will by-pass years of Supreme Court jurisprudence on extradition, will be guillotined.
"Regrettably the atrocities of September 11th, are yet again being used as an emotive cover to introduce measures which have more to do with social control and loss of freedom, than enhancing security.
Full text of the motions will not be available until Wednesday, at which time they will come before the Oireachtas Justice Committee. There will be no debate in the Dáil or Séanad.
The biometric information will be available on national and EU-wide databases and be accessible to tens of thousands of officials.
The ICCL added that not only is the 11th-hour rushing through of the motion a cause for concern, the cost of implementation has yet to be addressed.
"The installation of technology to create the documentation, the cost of storage and management of the data, and the need to have verification systems installed at border posts" are all financial concerns, warned Ms Reidy.
"It is not clear how this will be dealt with in the short time allocated to the measures by the Committee."
