Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

General Scheme of the International Protection Bill 2025: Discussion

2:00 am

Mr. Liam Herrick:

I refer the Senator to a report published last week by the group EPIC, which works with children in care and has looked particularly at the situation of children coming in under the current system. There are many challenges in the current system as set up by our colleagues in Tusla. The huge increase has obviously put a large strain on resources within the system, but the legislative basis for the protection of separated children in Ireland is deficient. There is an over-reliance on private providers because of the increase in numbers and the lack of provision of aftercare. When these children turn 18, they are very often cut off from other supports they might have had. That is an analysis of the problems we have at the moment.

I do not know if there is any one model in Europe but there are definitely other countries that are doing better than us, I am sure. One of the challenges we all face with this legislation is that no other EU state has transposed the migration pact yet. It is not as if we have precedent to rely on or look to at this point in time. Other member states are in the same position.

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