New laws to overhaul international protection before Dáil next year

Justice Minister outlines to Dáil current pilot project to see whether Ireland can fulfil EU processing obligations which kick in next year

Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

New laws to overhaul international protection will come to the Dáil early next year, the justice minister has said.

Jim O’Callaghan earlier this year got Cabinet approval for drafting of the International Protection Bill 2025.

It sets out to implement an accelerated processing system for those from designated safe countries of origin, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe, citizens of countries from which there are the largest number of applicants, and countries which have seen numbers applying for asylum here dropping.

Mr O’Callaghan told a Dáil debate on Wednesday that, since July of this year Ireland has been running a pilot project within the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal, which has been assessing applications from three countries — Georgia, Brazil, and India — to see whether Ireland can fulfil the EU processing obligations that will kick in during June of next year. He said: 

I am pleased to say that has been successful. 

"We have seen over 300 decisions from applicants from those countries which have gone through first stage, the appeals stage, and in many instances deportation orders signed, within a period of 12 weeks,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

Labour’s Alan Kelly said that Ireland was at a “defining moment” in relation to “extreme views”.

He said the growth in extreme views was “unIrish”. Mr Kelly made the point that international protection is a “very small percentage of migration into Ireland” and called for Mr O’Callaghan to run a “positivity campaign” around the impact of migrants on Irish society.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said he had been told by the Department of Justice that the median waiting time for appeals had risen to 13 months.

Opposition TDs critical of Tánaiste's comments

Mr Gannon said that Tánaiste Simon Harris’ comments on migration were “whistling a little bit”.

His party colleague Rory Hearne said that “Ireland is not full, it’s full of crap from this government”.

Green Party leader and former integration minister Roderic O’Gorman said Mr Harris’ comments last week were not calm or rational. 

“We need to make appeal to truth, not fears,” he said, saying that the Tánaiste had “bulldozed through facts” in his comments. 

He claimed Mr Harris “chose his words carefully” and knew the debate it would trigger.