HC Deb 27 January 2003 vol 398 c690W
Keith Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the launch of the EU's centralised fingerprinting system aimed at asylum seekers. [92100]

Beverley Hughes

The Government welcome the implementation on 15 January of the centralised EURODAC fingerprint database. Fingerprint technology is an important tool to cut fraud and prevent abuse of national immigration and asylum systems. Co-operation with our European partners through the EURODAC system builds on this and EURODAC will provide a valuable resource to tackle multiple asylum applications. As it becomes established EURODAC will help speed up the processing of asylum cases under the Dublin Convention and its replacement, the Dublin II Regulation, by improving the detection of multiple asylum applications made within the EU or Norway and Iceland.