International Protection Bill 2026: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-25
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Maria McCormack (SF), Labour Panel

I commend Senators McDowell and Boyhan on tabling the amendment. It is so important. We have to acknowledge that the debate on the Bill is being guillotined. We can see the changes that have come in and the number of amendments that have been tabled that we will not have a chance to go through. It is really worrying that this legislation needs to be rushed through at such a pace. We know the amount of litigation that will result from this. We think about humane detention standards. All the Senators are asking for in the amendment is a report. I know what the Minister has stated, which is that the Government is bound to submit its own report anyway, but it is about fairness also.
We are accepting so much of this, even though we have clearly put our concerns on record. I know we will not get to some of the amendments on community consultation, which is something I feel strongly about. We should accept this amendment. We could have a smoother process if we engaged with people properly on this. We would not have had the problems in Ireland that we have had if we had engaged properly with the communities in the first place, and if we had transparency in communities, proper liaison and made sure that in the areas where IPAS centres were going in we had proper consultation and proper services to facilitate them. We have put IPAS centres in locations based on profit more than suitability. If we look at it, we did not have doctors or school places. All of these problems have led to the dysfunctionality of the IPAS centres in Ireland and to the entire system not working.
It creates greater confusion when we see the debate being guillotined and he Bill being pushed through in order that it can be returned to the Dáil where the debate will be guillotined again. All the amendment seeks is a report after 12 months. I respect that I am being allowed to speak about our amendment, which we will not get to because of the guillotine. I want the Minister to go back to the point on the report after 12 months. What is the reason for refusing to give us a report on the impacts this is having?

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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