International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Alice-Mary Higgins (IND), National University of Ireland

I will be brief because we have so much to go through. Again, I just want to echo the concerns about the caseload of 30. We would regard 30 in a classroom as a very high number for individuals to manage, and we are talking about 30 very vulnerable minors, potentially with very complex needs. It is hard to see how their best interests could be represented with such a caseload, in particular as there are other parts in the Bill, which we may get to discuss later - or perhaps not as it is being guillotined - that will deeply affect minors, including provisions relating to the restriction of movement and the detention of minors who have committed no crimes or offence. They are simply seeking to exercise their right to seek asylum and they deserve the support of the State. Those provisions are extremely concerning.
There are also issues in relation to family reunification and the limits on that in terms of who can be reunited in the case of a minor child. Because they are not explicitly named as issues within the functions here, perhaps the Minister would confirm that they would be supported to navigate all those aspects. We may not get to the family reunification piece because of the guillotining of the Bill, which is shameful, but that will be a particular issue for vulnerable children. The current family reunification system is very limited and deals with a spouse, children or parent. It excludes, for example, the sibling of a minor child.
I do appreciate the Minister's response yesterday. I recognise that some of the areas we have been concerned about being removed from section 44 have been brought into section 47. It is not exactly "skills and expertise", but it is "qualifications and expertise" and, to an extent, that covers the same area. I am concerned that the caseload is not going to be manageable given some very serious potential constraints on the rights of children in other aspects of the Bill.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19