Fines for airlines which carry undocumented passengers into Ireland are set to increase.

Carriers could now be fined up to €5,000 if they are found to carry a passenger without valid travel documents - an increase of €2,000 on the current level.

The legislation would be enacted before the Dáil summer recess; though the date that it would come into effect has yet to be announced.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the increased fine will reduce the numbers arriving into Ireland.

However a person who is prosecuted for such an offence can still apply for International Protection.

Passport control at Dublin Airport. Image: PA Images / Alamy

Minister McEntee said the Government still has an obligation to those who apply for asylum afterwards.

"Nobody gets into the country on an airline without documentation," she said.

"What we find, though, is that people often use false documents or that they discard their documents once they arrive here.

"It is a crime, there have been a number of cases recently and people have received custodial sentences.

"Of course we have an obligation when someone arrives in the country - if they apply for asylum - to process that application.

"We absolutely take that obligation very seriously and that's exactly what we're doing."

Minister McEntee added that the number of doorstep operations at the foot of arriving aircraft has also increased this year.

Some 96 people have been arrested and brought before the courts since the start of the year for having false or no travel documents.

Image: Sun above clouds with the wing of an airplane, 26-7-11. Image: Image Professionals GmbH / Alamy