Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 24:

In page 97, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following:

“(6)The Minister shall, every 12 months, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining any changes to the list of safe third countries and provide rationale for any such changes made.”

The amendment proposes that the Minister produce a report every 12 months on the designation of safe third countries. It is yet another expression of my concern over how that designation is working. We need to bear in mind that circumstances in countries, which may have been designated as safe third countries, change very rapidly. We are at an extremely politically volatile point in the world. It should be reviewed every 12 months because countries that had been designated as safe third countries may undergo radical changes in circumstances. Every 12 months would be an appropriate interval at which to reconsider those issues. Even if the Minister is not minded to accept the amendment, I think it fits into the discussion that I signalled we need to have.