Cabinet Committees
Dail Éireann — 2025-11-12
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

That is all I am saying. I just think that there is too much of that going on. The Catherine Day report was based on the premise of 3,500 people coming in through the asylum programme on a yearly basis. That went up to 18,000 last year. It is down by close to 40% this year. There are issues around the asylum process. There is no point in saying there are not - there are. We have to have a robust and fair procedure. The acceleration of the first phase has happened and is happening. People are getting through the first phase of their applications and then they go and appeal. The focus is now on getting the appeals side done much faster so that we can get an outcome. A significant percentage of those who go through the whole process are judged to be economic migrants as opposed to those seeking refuge in accordance with the Acts and so on. If you say that, you are accused, but that is the reality if you examine the figures that come from the Department of justice on what is happening. However, we do have to accelerate the process, particularly on the appeals side after the first phase is done.
Regarding Deputy Conway-Walsh, I will follow that issue up with the Minister for justice. Again, these can be very complex issues in terms of the rights of children. Historically, the Deputy is correct. Notwithstanding all of the legislation we have passed, the recent constitutional amendment went to the heart of this in terms of the prioritisation of the rights of the child in the kinds of scenario the Deputy has outlined in terms of coercive control, violence, including domestic violence, and so forth. In my view, the rights of the child have to be prioritised but sometimes those rights involve having some contact with parents as well. As Deputies, we all come across very complex family law cases where issues of access and so on constantly arise. However, I have sympathy with the position the Deputy has put forward and I will come back to her. I will also ask the Minister for justice to revert to her on the matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-11-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-11-12