International Protection Bill 2026: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-25
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Sharon Keogan (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I support the amendment, which simply requires that, within 12 months of the enactment, the Minister lays before both Houses a report stating how the Act has functioned. It is reasonable and entirely in keeping with the oversight responsibilities of this House. On Committee Stage, many of us highlighted concerns about the practical operations of the legislation once it left this Chamber and entered the real world. We spoke at length about capacity, transparency and the risk of legislating without clear mechanisms to measure how the core concepts of the Bill would function in practice. I made the point then, and I repeat it now, that no system can operate on abstractions. If we do not monitor and report on its effectiveness, then we are legislating in a vacuum.
I believe the amendment is a natural continuation of those Committee Stage arguments. It builds on a structured requirement for democratic accountability. It ensures that the Minister returns to the House with evidence and a factual assessment of how the Act has performed. It is vital that we in the House and the public at large get a full look into the realities of what is happening at our Border and in our immigration system. For example, I learned that on one occasion during the Ukrainian crisis, 59 unaccompanied minors were brought into Ireland and were assigned at the Border to the impromptu guardianship of adults who were in their group. I was recently informed by the Minister's Department that we did not systematically store or analyse data on no-shows to IPA interviews. These are just two examples of the mountain of work that our asylum and migration systems have to do in terms of gathering, monitoring and reporting data.
This is not an obstructionist measure. It does not slow implementation or bind the hands of the Minister beyond asking for transparency. It honours the principle we discussed repeatedly on Committee Stage, namely, that good legislation requires ongoing scrutiny and the Oireachtas must retain the ability to correct course when necessary. If the Government believes the Bill is robust, then it should welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that through a formal review. If challenges emerge, whether administrative, operational or resource based, then the report gives the Department the space to explain them and gives the House the opportunity to respond. For these reasons, I strongly support the amendment from my colleagues and encourage others to do likewise.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-25