International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18 ============================================================ Ruth Coppinger (PBP), Dublin West On this practical application of the best interests of children, I agree with the definitions. The child's developmental needs and vulnerability are some of the items that are listed in this amendment. I want to give the Minister an example, and this needs to be carried through to how we treat people in IPAS accommodation, not just those applying for accommodation. I have been contacted by IPAS residents in the Crown Plaza hotel in Blanchardstown. They have lived there for a number of years. They were told in a letter dated 13 February, but I do not know whether they received it then, that they must move this Friday, 20 February. That is less than a week's notice. They have to move to Breaffy Woods in Castlebar, more than 200 km away. These people have children in local schools and preschools. In the case of the family who contacted me, they have a child who is autistic. They have a child linked to essential services in Blanchardstown. They have a child in preschool, which is like hens' teeth as it is absolutely impossible for somebody who has special needs to get into a preschool that caters for those needs where they get the therapeutic services necessary for their development. I ask the Minister to intervene to see that the best interests of this child are protected and that they are not moved to an area 200 km away where, I am absolutely certain, they will not have treatment services for their autism lined up or services necessary for their language skills. I ask the Minister to intervene to make sure this family, for example, is able to stay in Dublin even if they have to move to other IPAS accommodation until they find their own accommodation, be it out in Finglas or wherever, to allow them to stay in Dublin and to continue getting the services. This is an example of the best interests of the child in practical application. We should adopt these amendments. It really is very unfair for the Department to issue people with letters to move hundreds of miles away within a week, when they have been in an area for several years and made links there, developed there and have children in schools there. We all know the crisis there is in autism and special education in particular. I hope the Minister will take this on board. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. 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