International Protection Bill 2026: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

As Senators will know, a regulation is directly effective if the regulation, which sets out procedures, says the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration. We have also transposed it in this Bill in many different areas.
We also have to be careful to recognise that we are entitled to refuse asylum to a child. Maybe people will look at me and think that is an horrific thing to say. If the whole Bill were to be interpreted on the basis of what was in the best interests of the child, then any interpretation would be that the child's best interests would be met by staying in Ireland. That is not the test that can be applied. It would be unfair on the State to say that any child who applied for asylum here was automatically entitled to it. I presume that is not what the Senators are saying. If they are not, then they are recognising that asylum can be refused to a child. The phrase "best interests" is in the context of certain Parts and Chapters of the Bill. We cannot have a situation where, if someone establishes that they are a child and they apply, they automatically get asylum.

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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