International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Roderic O'Gorman (GP), Dublin West

I am speaking in favour of this amendment. I am not sure why Deputy Gannon's amendment was ruled out but this one was not. The comprehensiveness of the definition that Deputy Gannon was seeking to provide was really useful. Nevertheless, this is a good definition as well.
Throughout this debate there has been real concern about the new concept of "legal counselling" that the Bill appears to be introducing. It is not properly defined. At present, particularly under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, there are various rights in terms of legal advice and legal assistance. We are bringing in a new theme or concept here. A new concept such as this should be clearly defined in law, particularly recognising that the decision on the granting of asylum status is probably one of the most fundamental legal decisions about people seeking status that they will experience in their lives. This is a decision and a process that they are engaging in, often in a language that is not their first language, often after a traumatic journey across long distances and often after experiencing huge trauma within the country that they are fleeing. I am really concerned about the lack of clarity on the exact entitlements to legal support they can receive here. It is a source of concern among many NGOs.
I do not see why this matter could not be resolved. Can we not just decide? Is it what we understand as legal advice under existing legislation? If it is something new, if it is of a higher category or if it is of a lower category, could the Minister at least give us a clear definition somewhere in the legislation? That is not too much to ask.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18