I propose to take Questions Nos. 440 to 445, inclusive, together.
My Department continues to focus on preparing for the EU Migration and Asylum Pact in advance of June 2026. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.
The new International Protection Bill 2026 gives effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. Enactment of the Bill and commencement of the Act is required by 12 June 2026.
While projections for future levels of international protections applications are uncertain and impacted by a range of factors, the introduction of the Pact is expected to better respond, firstly through the increased use of significantly accelerated processes, and secondly by reducing secondary movement through the EU.
The Pact introduces faster processing of asylum claims with a much more efficient decision-making system. Faster processing will mean that applicants spend less time in IPAS accommodation, and this will significantly reduce the cost of the asylum system to the State. Faster decision-making will also mean that successful applicants will be granted international protection sooner, and those whose applications are refused can be returned to their country of origin sooner.
Having a common system across the EU makes sure that all applicants are treated the same in every Member State with no incentive to move from one to another. If Ireland had not opted into the Pact, it is likely that we would face higher levels of secondary movement, slower processing and a less efficient returns system. This would result in applicants staying in the system for much longer, at much greater cost to the State, in terms of the provision of accommodation and other supports.
It is for these reasons that the Government and both Houses of the Oireachtas have given approval in accordance with the Constitution for Ireland to opt in to the Pact measures. The proposal to opt in was debated at length in the Houses before the opt in motions were approved. Article 29.4.7 of the Constitution provides that the State may exercise the options or discretions under Protocol No. 21, but any such exercise shall be subject to the prior approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas.
The decision to opt-into, and be bound by, the Migration and Asylum Pact measures was considered by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, and approved by the Dáil, and the Seanad, on the basis of a proposal from the Government pursuant to Protocol 21 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union.
Ireland was heavily involved in the negotiation process at official and Ministerial level over many years to ensure that Irish interests were reflected in the Pact measures. Ireland’s representatives in the European Parliament also had the opportunity to examine and vote on the Pact in April 2024.
In relation to processing costs to the State, this will be settled annually in the course of engagement on the Estimates process, as is currently the case. In the medium to long-term this investment will show a return in the form of decreasing annual costs because of the improved, faster processing it will enable, thereby reducing the time an applicant remains in the system, and reducing significant accommodation and other costs.
In relation to Solidarity Mechanism, my Department engaged significantly with EU MS in advance of the EU agreement on the 2027 Solidarity Mechanism. On 11 November 2025, the first European Annual Asylum and Migration Report setting out the migratory situation across the EU was published. Ireland was deemed ‘at risk of migratory pressure’ and will receive access to the EU Migration Support Toolbox. Under the Solidarity Mechanism, Member States must either accept relocations of asylum applicants from other Member States or pledge contributions to the Annual Solidarity Pool according to their fair share, based on 50% share of population and 50% share of GDP. This is a cornerstone of the Pact.
Ireland and the United Kingdom share a long history and common interest in the effective operation of the Common Travel Area (CTA). Maintaining the integrity of the CTA and preventing its abuse in the context of immigration is an issue that I and my officials prioritise in our engagements with UK counterparts. There is extensive engagement and cooperation at all levels between my Department’s officials and their Home Office counterparts. This includes joint operational cooperation, as well as information sharing, between the Gardaí, UK Border Force, UK policing services and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
