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

I thank Senator Ryan for her amendment and her contribution to the debate. I do not propose to accept it. It is out of sync with where the Senator wishes to place it in the legislation. It would be just ahead of section 3, which deals with regulations and orders.
Once the legislation commences, whatever agency is responsible for functions under it will have to be fully resourced. We spoke yesterday of legal counselling and the extra financing gone to the Legal Aid Board this year to enable it to deal with the extra work it will have once the legislation is enacted. The same will be the case with whatever competent authority is designated as having responsibility for children. The amendment is unnecessary and I cannot accept it.

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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