Thursday, 19 Feb 2026

Immigration Policy

Questions (440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

440. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to opt into the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, his Department completed or commissioned any Ireland-specific written impact assessment, quantitative modelling exercise, or formal risk analysis examining the projected effect of participation in the Pact’s solidarity mechanism on the number of international protection applicants entering the State; and if so, the title, date of completion, and whether such assessment was submitted to Government prior to Cabinet approval [13682/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

441. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, prior to the opt-in decision, his Department conducted any Ireland-specific analysis or modelling of potential secondary movements into the State from the United Kingdom, including movements across the Northern Ireland land border, arising from the implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if so, the methodology used, the principal findings; and whether the analysis was reflected in Cabinet briefing materials [13683/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

442. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department prepared any written projections of international protection accommodation demand, reception capacity requirements, or associated public service pressures linked to Ireland’s participation in the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if so, the projected figures for the first three years of operation; and whether these projections were considered by Government prior to the opt-in decision [13684/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

443. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department prepared any fiscal impact analysis estimating the potential cost implications for the State arising from Ireland’s participation in the solidarity mechanism under the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, including scenario modelling under high-inflow conditions; and if so, the estimated cost ranges identified; and whether such analysis was submitted to Government [13685/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

444. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether a formal risk register, sensitivity analysis, or scenario-planning document was prepared by his Department prior to Ireland opting into the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if not, the reasons no structured Ireland-specific quantitative risk assessment was completed in advance of the Cabinet decision [13686/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

445. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he will publish any Ireland-specific impact assessments, modelling documents, briefing papers, or risk analyses prepared by his Department in advance of the Government decision to opt into the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if not, the grounds upon which publication is being withheld [13687/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

I propose to take Questions Nos. 440 to 445, inclusive, together.

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.

Question No. 441 answered with Question No. 440.

Question No. 442 answered with Question No. 440.

Question No. 443 answered with Question No. 440.

Question No. 444 answered with Question No. 440.

Question No. 445 answered with Question No. 440.

Departmental Data

Questions (446)

Ann Graves

Question:

446. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if it can be ensured that a person (details supplied) receives appropriate medical and mental health treatment as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13841/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

I have been advised by officials in the Irish Prison Service (IPS) that all persons committed to prison undergo a comprehensive medical assessment on committal, including a mental health assessment. Urgent healthcare needs are triaged and responded to immediately by the Prison Healthcare Team. Where clinically indicated, referrals to an in-reach Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist or IPS Psychologist are made without delay.

The multidisciplinary teams providing mental healthcare in prisons include General Practitioners, Nurses, Psychologists and Healthcare Assistants, with additional support from Occupational Therapy and Chaplaincy Services.

In-reach psychiatric services are provided by the HSE’s National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS), which delivers weekly forensic psychiatric sessions in all prisons except Limerick Prison and Loughan House, where interim arrangements are in place. Decisions regarding admission to the Central Mental Hospital or other Approved Centres rest solely with the NFMHS and HSE, and the Irish Prison Service facilitates transfers as soon as a bed becomes available.

The Health Needs Assessment (HNA) for the IPS was published in May 2023. It was the first comprehensive health assessment undertaken for the prison service. The HNA 1st Annual Progress Report was published in October 2024 and outlines the progress in implementing recommendations from May 2023 to June 2024.

The High Level Task Force (HLTF) on Mental Health and Addiction published their final report in September 2022. The report outlined 61 recommendations to enhance the treatment available to those with mental health and addiction difficulties within the criminal justice system. The Second Annual Progress Report of the HLTF was published in July 2025 covering September 2023 – September 2024. Work remains ongoing to monitor and further progress the recommendations of the HLTF.

In relation to the person concerned in the Deputy's query, I am advised that where a family member has concerns about a person in custody, they may contact info@irishprisons.ie. Such correspondence is reviewed promptly and directed to appropriate personnel.

The IPS has recently published information for families and friends on how they can share relevant healthcare concerns with prison healthcare teams. This resource is available on the IPS website and is intended to support families who wish to provide information that may assist clinical staff.

Departmental Data

Questions (447, 448)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

447. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Government operates a formal capacity-based planning framework linking annual inward migration projections, including asylum and temporary protection; if so, to provide details of the metrics used; and if not, whether he will introduce such a framework. [13862/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

448. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected gross inward migration figures for 2026 and 2027, broken down by international protection applicants, beneficiaries of temporary protection, and family reunification. [13863/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

I propose to take Questions Nos. 447 and 448 together.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a National Migration and Integration Strategy detailing how Government intends to meet the demands and the opportunities facing Ireland’s society and economy over the next decade.

My Department is currently working collaboratively with a wide range of other Government departments to develop this strategy with the aim to publish Ireland’s first overarching whole-of-government National Migration and Integration Strategy later this year.

The Strategy will include a wider range of issues relating to migration, including planning for public service provision.

To that end, a Strategic Migration Policy Group (SMPG) was established in December 2024 to support that work which now consists of ten Government Departments meeting at senior official level.

The ten Departments represented on the SMPG are:

Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Chairing)

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Department of Finance

Department of Social Protection

Department of an Taoiseach

Department of Health

Department of Education and Youth

Department of Rural and Cultural Development and the Gaeltacht

Each Department represents the interests of the agencies under their remit which have also provided inputs to the Group as required.

The SMPG and its working group has now met on 14 occasions for detailed discussions on different aspects of the Strategy.

The key objective of the Strategy and the SMPG is to develop a whole-of-government approach to migration policy that is coherent across Departments and responsive in seeking to address Ireland’s current and future demographic, economic and social policy needs.

I can inform the Deputy that the Central Statistics Office, which is fully independent in its role, has produced population projections for 2023 to 2057 depending on different migration scenarios. This data can be accessed at the following link: www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-plfp/populationandlabourforceprojections2023-2057/

More broadly, capacity-based planning for Government services is a matter for each Department in its area of responsibility, be that Health, Education, Housing or any other sector, whether the demand for those services increases or declines in line with demographic changes, and whether those demographic changes arise from natural increases or declines in population or from immigration or emigration. The Government considers such matters at a central level in initiatives such as the National Development Plan and National Planning Framework, and via consideration at appropriate Cabinet Committees of capacity planning measures.

Question No. 448 answered with Question No. 447.

International Protection

Questions (449)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

449. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current average processing time from initial international protection application to first instance decision; the average time to final determination including appeal; and the measures being implemented to reduce decision timelines in 2026. [13864/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

There has been a significant increase in investment into the international protection system which, combined with digitisation and process reengineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity.

In 2025, the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 20,200 first decisions compared to approximately 14,100 in 2024: a 44% increase. The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) more than doubled the number of appeals closed from 3,100 in 2024 to nearly 6,300 in 2025.

In 2025 the overall median processing time for IPO first instance decisions was 14 months. Accelerated cases were processed in four months, while standard cases were processed in 16 months.

All applicants refused international protection have a right to appeal to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal who must then consider if the earlier International Protection Office determinations on refugee status and subsidiary protection should be affirmed or set aside.

In 2025, the median processing time for all appeals determined was 12.5 months. The median processing time for appeals under the accelerated procedure was 11 months.

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 including standardised processing times for decisions: six months for a standard procedure, three months for accelerated and border procedures and two months for processing applicants who have applied for protection elsewhere in Europe.

The new International Protection Bill 2026 will give 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.

To prepare for its introduction, a phased transition that mirrors elements of the Pact is currently underway. As part of this, applicants from designated safe countries of origin, with some minor exceptions, are being processed under these new processes.

Under the Pact Asylum Border Procedure, which this pilot mirrors, a total of 12 weeks from registration to first instance decision and appeal is provided for. To date under the pact transition arrangements, median processing times have met this target.

International Protection

Questions (450)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

450. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of final negative international protection decisions issued in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of deportation orders signed in each year; and the number executed; and whether additional resources have been allocated to enforcement capacity in 2026. [13865/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust, and rules based, and that our borders are protected. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are also an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.

The number of International Protection applications have been rising over the past number of years, reaching 18,500 in 2024. In 2025, application numbers reduced by approximately a third.

There has been a significantly increased investment into the international protection system to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as enhancing the application, interview and decision-making process for applicants.

In 2025, the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 20,200 first decisions compared to approximately 14,100 in 2024, a 44% increase. The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) more than doubled the number of appeals closed from 3,100 in 2024 to nearly 6,300 in 2025.

The new International Protection Bill 2026 will give 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.

Table 1 below provides a yearly breakdown of IP applications made from 2022 to 2025.

Table 1

Year of Application	Total
2022	13,643
2023	13,271
2024	18,553
2025	13,160

Table 2 below shows all international protection first instance decisions made from 2022 to 2025 broken down by those granted either Refugee Status (RS), Subsidiary Protection (SP) or Permission to Remain (PTR) and those refused. Please note that there is not a direct correlation between the year an application was made and the year the decision issued.

Table 2

First instance decisions	2022	2023	2024	2025
Granted (RS, SP, PTR)	3,537 (71.70%)	3,236 (36.72%)	3,909 (27.80%)	3,737 (18.61%)
Refused / withdrew / inadmissible/ Dormant	1,396 (28.30%)	5,577 (63.28%)	10,152 (72.20%)	16,504 (81.39%)

All applicants refused international protection have a right to appeal to the IPAT, who must then consider if the earlier IPO determinations on refugee status and subsidiary protection should be affirmed, or set aside.

Table 3 below details International Protection appeal decisions from 2022 to 2025.

Table 3

International Protection Appeals Tribunal Decisions Issued
Year	Decision		Total	Decision %
	Granted/Set Aside	Refused/Affirmed		Granted/Set Aside	Refused/Affirmed
2022	496	804	1300	38.20%	61.80%
2023	446	1136	1582	28.20%	71.80%
2024	819	2051	2870	28.50%	71.50%
2025	1488	4016	5504	27.00%	73.00%

Table 4 below shows applications to IPAT that were either withdrawn or deemed withdrawn from 2022 to 2025.

Table 4

Year	Withdrawn/Deemed Withdrawn
2022	266
2023	113
2024	211
2025	511

Deportations are costly and complex to enforce. It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. A person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued and I have increased resources into this programme to enable individuals who wish to return before a deportation order is issued to them.

If a person does not remove themselves from the State following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed, and my Department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals.

The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857). In 2025, 4,700 deportation orders were signed, an increase of 96% compared to 2024.

My Department also secured a charter contract in November 2024 in order to add capacity to the State to enforce a greater number of deportations. In 2025, five deportation charter flights were organised and 182 people were removed from the State, along with 185 people who were deported by commercial flights.

The enforcement of deportation orders is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), and my Department works closely with the GNIB to progress arrangements for the removal of people subject to deportation orders.

As Ireland does not operate routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to confirm in all instances that a person has departed the State. A person is only recorded as being deported when their deportation has been enforced by An Garda Síochána or when officials have been provided with evidence that they have left Ireland.

While over 300 of the people subject to deportation orders above have confirmed they have left the State independently since 2020, it is the case that a significantly larger number of individuals who were subject to deportation orders have left the State without notifying the relevant authorities.

I am informed that the GNIB has reviewed a large sample of cases of people subject to deportation orders; their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.

Tables 5 and 6 below detail the number of deportation orders signed and effected from 2022 to 2025.

Table 5. Deportation orders signed from 2022 to 2025

Year	2022	2023	2024	2025
Deportation orders signed	549	859	2,403	4,700

Table 6. Deportation Enforcement 2022 to 2025

Year	2022	2023	2024	2025
Enforced Deportations	24	51	134	185
Removed by Charter	N/A	N/A	N/A	182
Otherwise Confirmed Deportation (1)	93	28	28	67
Total Deportations	117	79	162	434
Other Removals (2)	39	24	26	61
Number of Voluntary Returns	91	215	934	1,616
Total Removed	247	318	1,122	2,111

* During the COVID- 19 Pandemic there was a moratorium on deportations. This was effective during the latter part of 2020, 2021 and for the first 8 months of 2022. During the moratorium only people who whose presence in Ireland would be contrary to the public interest were deported. This moratorium was lifted in July 2022.

1. Otherwise confirmed deportations is where it has been confirmed a person has left the state following receipt of a deportation order without being escorted.

2. Other removals include Dublin III Transfer Orders of International Protection applicants to another EU State and EU Removal Orders for the return of EU Citizens under the Free Movement Regulations (these orders are made on grounds of criminality) and people who are deemed inadmissible under the International Protection Act.

Please note, all figures provided are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

The resources required for the effective operation of the end-to-end International Protection system, including removals, is kept under review and additional resources will be deployed within the system as is appropriate and necessary.