International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

I just want to make a quick point on that and particularly in respect of our amendment No. 60. I mentioned local development partnerships previously, which are already in arrangements through SICAP funding at local level. Many people seeking asylum will find themselves in direct provision in Ballaghaderreen, Cahersiveen and Kilkenny. The local development companies already exist. I am just thinking purely from a resource point of view, for the Legal Aid Board, that there might be a mechanism in terms of legal assistance through some kind of formalised arrangement with local development companies where even volunteers with legal expertise could be part of that process. As I said, there has already been a mechanism by which such informal practices have taken place. If there were some means of formalising an arrangement with local development partnerships, there is an infrastructure already there. It might be useful in terms of expediency but also in ensuring a more robust process.

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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