International Protection Bill 2026: From the Seanad
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-15
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

The Deputies have accurately summarised the basis on which we think that 90% of applicants come in over the Border with Northern Ireland. These are people who apply at the office and do not apply at our ports. It is, therefore, a reasonable assumption that a significant majority are coming over the Border.
Deputy Carthy makes the point that individuals who were given work visas to come here might then subsequently claim international protection. That is correct. It is important to point out, obviously, that the State has that information about an individual. If an individual came to Ireland on a student application or visa application and was granted that visa and then when it came to an end, the person were to claim international protection, the persons in the IPO determining the decision would be aware that, previously, he or she was granted a visa and came here to study or work, and will see the narrative of the basis upon which the application for that visa was granted. That information is available. It is important that we retain that information on an individual basis.
We can try to accurately specify the exact numbers coming in over the Border. However, as Deputy Carthy knows, the only way we are going to be able to do that is by checking people at the Border. I know he does not want that to happen. The only way this State is going to know how many people are coming from Northern Ireland into the Republic and claiming asylum is by stopping people and checking and by asking to see their passports. If they are Irish citizens, there is no issue. We could get information that way but no one in this House wants that. It is a consequence of partition. The way we resolve it is to say that the UK, including Northern Ireland, which is a part of it, is a safe third country. When this legislation is enacted, I will, based on the information I have already and that will be presented to me, I assume, be designating the UK as a safe third country. That is the procedural mechanism by which we seek to deal with the numbers coming over the Border.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-15