EUROPEAN AFFAIRS:THE EXCHANGE of data on travellers between EU member states and other countries was one of the issues examined by an EU agency, the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs was told yesterday. This led to controls on the exchange of such data.

Dr Alpha Connelly, a member of the scientific committee of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency told the committee that the French presidency had asked it to examine this question in the light of the exchange of a wide range of data on passengers.

The EU had very good data protection, but many other countries did not, she said. The agency was asked to consider whether the data exchanged went beyond what was necessary to control terrorism and organised crime and its views informed the position taken by French presidency.

Anastasis Crickley, chairwoman of the FRA’s management committee, said that when it was set up by the Council of Ministers it was given a limited remit. However, it worked to the limit of its remit in conducting research on discrimination in Europe, as a basis for EU policy and legislation.

She said it was very important national parliaments made requests for information, and that national human rights bodies had an input into its work.

The FRA had produced a report on discrimination experienced by minorities across the EU, she said, and in 2011 would be conducting a study of violence against women across the EU. It would also be looking at the situation of irregular migrants.

Bernard Durkan, chairman of the committee, said it was particularly important at times of recession that a focus was maintained on human rights.

The kind of issues that arose included the deportation of immigrants from this country, particularly when there was medical evidence that they had been tortured, and children could be separated from their parents and sent back to very difficult situations.