International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

We made a decision in the previous Oireachtas to sign up to this arrangement. We decided to harmonise our asylum laws with other EU countries. That is Irish sovereignty in practice. We agreed to do that. The Houses of the Oireachtas decided to do that on foot of a Government recommendation. We cannot keep saying this is not Irish sovereignty in practice.
Regrettably, the debate here is all about saying we should not have gone into the pact. Can people tell me what measures they want in this legislation that are not there? If people want to say we should not allow asylum, let them stand up and say we should put that in there. Will Senators explain to me what they want to see in this? Rather than saying they would not have gone into the pact, let them think of substantive measures they would like to see here. The measures in this are about processing applications quickly and making decisions promptly; not allowing oral hearings, except in exceptional circumstances, on appeal; and restricting family reunification. Those are all policies that I, as Minister for justice of an independent Ireland, have put forward. I do not say this critically of Senators, but I want to hear what proposals they think should be in it. What substantive ones? I have heard none. I am sorry to sound like a schoolteacher.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18