International Protection Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-03
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Joanne Collins (SF), Agricultural Panel

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. As the Minister of State acknowledged, the primary purpose of the legislation is to facilitate Ireland's opting into the EU asylum and migration pact. Let us be clear: we did not have to opt into this. Under Protocol No. 21, we had the ability to opt out. That safeguard exists precisely because of our unique circumstances, yet Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael chose to discard that flexibility and sign up wholesale.
Sinn Féin has been consistent. We did not oppose co-operation. We support opting into some measures, like the asylum and migration management regulation and the Eurodac regulation, because information sharing and a returns policy make sense. However, we did not support opting into every element without properly accounting for Ireland's position as a state with a land border with a non-EU jurisdiction and as part of a common travel area with Britain. That failure to account for the common travel area is extraordinary, particularly when Ministers repeatedly acknowledged that the vast majority of international protection applicants travelled here via Britain.
Cross-party scrutiny of this Bill raised profound concerns. Stakeholders from across the spectrum agreed on one thing, namely, the Government is unlikely to meet the timelines it has been assigned. Failure on this is not simply going to be embarrassing. It could expose the State to infringement proceedings and substantial fines. That means the Irish taxpayer is paying for a political decision that did not need to be made.
In County Limerick, people understand both fairness and practicality. Limerick has shown compassion and welcome, but people have also raised legitimate questions about school places, GP access and transport links. Decisions on IPAS accommodation have too often been driven by the availability of a building, rather than the capacity of a community. That approach breeds frustration and division. We need pre-assessment of community capacity, not a first-come, first-served model, driven by private investment and investors. The cost of IPAS accommodation exceeded €1 billion last year. We have seen eye-watering profits made by a small number of operators. Taxpayers in Limerick and across the State, working families already stretched by housing and childcare costs, are entitled to transparency and accountability for every single euro spent.
The system itself is clearly under strain. On average, it takes more than two and a half years for an international protection application to be finalised. Deportation orders are signed in their thousands, yet confirmed deportations are constantly less than half that figure. That undermines confidence in the entire system. A fair system must be enforced. If someone is entitled to protection, they should receive that protection quickly and be supported to integrate.
If they are not entitled to remain, that decision also needs to be implemented swiftly and humanely. This Bill risks diverting energy away from fixing those operational failures into meeting an EU deadline.
Democracy is not just about a government making decisions; it is also about ensuring future governments reflecting the will of the people are not unnecessarily bound by choices that restrict their flexibility. Ireland can and should design an international protection system that reflects our sovereignty, geography and values. One size does not fit all.
Even at this stage, the Minister should reconsider the blanket opt-in and prioritise Ireland’s interests. Our communities deserve a system that works. Those fleeing war and persecution deserve timely, fair decisions and decent conditions, and the Irish people deserve legislation that is properly scrutinised, properly costed and properly thought through. I really hope that when it comes to Committee Stage, we will have the opportunity to go through amendments we will be proposing.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-03