International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

I assure Deputy Gannon that I am not saying I do not see any merit in the amendment. I do see merit in it. I have indicated to the Deputy that I am going to consider it and that I will most probably bring forward amendments in respect of it to emphasise the best interests of the child. I do not think it is without merit.
The point I was making about the reference in the Constitution to "the best interests of the child" is that we can decide whether we want to define what the best interests of the child are - Deputies Gannon and Kelly have put it in their amendment - or we can leave it vague. By leaving it vague, it is probably broader. One of the downsides of specifying what a term means in legislation is that when somebody looks at it, they will very much limit the meaning of "the best interests of the child" to the six paragraphs that have been set out. Sometimes it can have broader application if we do not try to specify it and tie it down in six areas.

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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