International Protection Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-03
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Colm Brophy (FG), Dublin South-West

I thank the Senators for today's debate and productive engagement. It is fair to say that this is an area where there has been a real range of engagement this evening. We really get the breadth and depth of opinion. I welcome the opportunity to conclude by commenting on some of the individual issues . I also want to take the opportunity to talk about one or two more general matters.
Whether we are talking about this Bill or any other matters, it is important to recognise that we are part of Europe. Some people do not seem to get that. Europe is not something that is out there. We are part of it. We are a member state. We are involved in its decision-making. We pool our sovereignty and work together. We are an integral part of the European Union. The vast majority of Irish people are in favour of that. The benefits to us, as a nation, on so many levels, not just economically, have been incredibly positive.
Unfortunately, there are no Sinn Féin Senators here. However, a general point that is sort of thrown out all the time - they also make a certain point about the EU - relates to the idea that you solve everything through unity. They tried one approach to unity for decades. It did not work and caused nothing but absolute hardship to our nation. We are not going to get instant unity, and we need solutions that we can implement.
I do not think there is a person in the House who does not want to see Irish unity but we need to do things in the interim. You cannot just throw on the cloak of unity and think that is a solution.
As to the general principle, in my belief and that of the Minister, trying to improve the system is at the heart of what we are doing. We are not doing it for any other reason. I will focus on the specifics. I know there is scepticism about the pact's measures and there were calls for Ireland to reverse its position and opt out of the measures. Both Houses of the Oireachtas have backed the Government's proposal to opt into this pact because it introduces faster processing of asylum claims and a more effective and efficient system. Faster processing will mean applicants spend less time in IPAS accommodation.

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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