Legality of questioning entire 'planeloads' of passengers is queried

Passengers pictured at Dublin Airport. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The Department of Social Protection has rejected concerns raised by the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) over the legality of pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) checks on whole planeloads of passengers.

Welfare inspectors have the power to question airline passengers where they have reasonable grounds to be suspicious, but the DPC says the law does not give them the right to question all passengers boarding a flight.