Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I thank everyone who has contributed to the debate. This is an area, obviously, where a debate can be fought and major issues can develop very quickly into very fraught conversations. I welcome, therefore, the tone and conversation we have had today. Before I go any further, I acknowledge what happens when debates are not like this but, rather, become very heated and spill into the real world. That has a real impact. We saw that during the summer with attacks on part of the Indian community in particular.We saw it in the shocking attack that took place in Drogheda. Your heart would go out to the children and women in accommodation after the experience they had. My thoughts are with all of the people who were affected by that. They are also with the victim of the alleged sexual assault in Saggart. That was a horrible situation for the community to go through also.

After that, because of the way these debates can sometimes go, we saw people who used what happened as an opportunity to sow division and try to cause a riot and violence. It is what happens when this type of conversation spills over and people do not care about the impact of their contribution on social media, or of their thoughts or remarks. I acknowledge in particular the work of members of An Garda Síochána, who bravely defended Citywest so well when faced with such appalling behaviour. We put our trust in the justice process to deliver due process over the coming months.

Acts of violence and intimidation are utterly unacceptable and stand in direct opposition to the values we hold as a nation. The vast majority of Irish people, as mentioned by many speakers, are positive towards migration because they know what the value of migration is to Ireland. It has been mentioned that we are probably unique, in that we are a nation which, for centuries, effectively depended on outward migration, and now we have inward migration. The motion rightly sets out how migration benefits our economy, public services and infrastructure, and has made Ireland a pluralist and more open society. I welcome that so many of the contributions highlighted that this evening.

The Government is operating under a clear and co-ordinated strategy to manage immigration in a way that is firm, fair, effective and humane. I am happy to say the Department has made significant progress towards the actions called for in this Private Members' motion. The motion called for a new migration and integration strategy for Ireland and I am happy to report that strategy is well under way. The strategy will detail how we intend to meet the demands and the opportunity facing our society and economy over the next decade. It will also look at the particular issues raised in the motion regarding how the Government can be responsive to the economic skills needed in our country.

As mentioned by many Senators, we have to be cognisant that the vast majority of people who come to our country do so because we need them and we asked them. They come here with visas to work and contribute. I am not going to repeat what the Senators said but, in all honesty, if we did not have people coming here to make their incredible contribution, the emergency services, the services in our hospitals and the construction of the homes we need, which get talked about something that has to be provided, would all be impacted. The strategy will be the first of its kind in Ireland. It is being led by my Department, with support from across government. We plan to publish it in 2026.

Of course, alongside the strategy sits operations, and to meet the opportunities that immigration presents, we need an immigration system that is efficient and customer friendly in order to attract and retain the talent that comes here through those legal pathways we have talked about. My Department continues to make great gains in improving the operational aspect of immigration processing through modernisation efforts. It allows Ireland to welcome and support the entry of migrant workers. The motion rightly notes just how sizeable the number of migrant workers that bolster our economy is. One example of our work to streamline this system is our plan to introduce a single permit to both work and live in Ireland. Currently, employer permits, visa applications and residency permits are all processed separately. A detailed plan is being developed to unify these systems. An implementation team is working to introduce that one single permit. It will make a big difference.

In the short term, steps are being taken to streamline the process so that information requests and checks are not duplicated. The customer experience will improve through the aligning of this online information and introducing a single payment model also. The steps will simplify the process for people and a common application platform will be developed. This initiative is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of our economy and support and recognise the vitally important contribution made, as we have all talked about and I have just outlined, by legal migrants in so many areas.

I draw attention to the priority that has been given to the modernisation programme within the International Protection Office because it has been alluded to in some of the contributions. It is very important we take the opportunity, in much as possible, to talk about this. It speaks directly to calls in the motion for investment in faster processing. What has been happening? There has been a significant increase in investment in the international protection system, which, combined with the digitisation process and the re-engineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity. In 2024, international protection delivered more than 14,000 first decisions, compared with just 8,523 in 2023, while the international appeals process closed some 3,100 appeals in 2024, compared with 1,700 in 2023. In 2025 to the end of quarter 3, there has been a 51% increase in the total number of first decisions compared with the same period in 2024. IPAS has also increased the number of appeals.

My Department continues to focus on preparing us for the EU migration and asylum pact in advance of June 2026. As noted in the motion, Ireland officially opted in to the pact following votes in both the Dáil and Seanad. The pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. It is vitally important to recognise that one of the key parts of the pact is to do what so many Senators mentioned, namely, to have a 12-week system for the majority of people. That is fairer to people who are in the system and fairer to the system itself, our country and our communities. It directly recognises and addresses the type of situation that is not right, where people are in the system for years, which leaves them in limbo and takes too long. This pact will be achieved through the convergence of asylum practices right across the EU, including standardised processing times for decisions. As I say, the aim is to get those times down to three months.

The motion calls for accelerated processing. The asylum border procedure will tackle the issue of people destroying their documents. There will be a 12-week time limit, as I mentioned, for first-instance appeals decisions to be completed. We are also going to move to make sure we have a system in place as we build up to the introduction of the migration pact in June 2026, which will mirror some of this, in order that we will be able to deliver it.

Through opting in to the EU migration and asylum pact, Ireland has shown its commitment to a common, EU-wide solution to migration. The pact is a landmark in our collective efforts to manage migration with fairness and in a compassionate way. I emphasise border protection while upholding international law. That is crucial. It allows us to distinguish between those who are in genuine need of protection and those who do not qualify. That means enabling swifter and more just outcomes.

We are following closely the recent changes to the UK asylum practices and laws. We are aware that they have the potential to result in changes to the flow of asylum seekers between the UK and Ireland. I thought the way in which the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, was quoted was very misleading. The Minister and I are working to ensure, working with our UK counterparts, that we have a balanced system between the two countries, recognising we have an open and common border and making sure that we look at what they are doing, they look at what we are doing and that we keep it equal in terms of people choosing where to come in to make a claim of international protection, as they are entitled to do.

I have outlined the Government’s priorities in various areas, but one area in particular, on which we are very much focused, is the processing of applications speedily and saving money on accommodation. The majority of the International Protection Office's commercial, emergency accommodation was commissioned as part of the emergency response to the increased demand that came about in 2022. Approximately 45,000 people arrived and applied for international protection during the period 2022 to 2024. That almost matches the total number of applications during the previous 16 years. It also coincided with the Ukraine invasion, which saw an additional 120,000 people arrive. The motion urges the Government to continue to improve value for money in accommodation and move away from relying on private providers to State-owned accommodation. I assure Members that this is exactly what we want to do. We are moving away from private provision of accommodation. We have made a range of changes, such as bringing in new rate cards and lowering the amount we are paying. We have moved, where we can, to look at State-owned accommodation.We are driving real changes. We have been driving €52 million worth of changes since May of this year. This is the type of real change we have brought into the system.

IPAS regularly engages with centres all around the country to ensure there is compliance with contracts and standards, with a dual eye on the safety of the residents while also ensuring value for money. In 2025, there have been 25 terminations of contracts due to compliance issues. We are making real changes in how we manage the IPAS system. The creation of the core supply of State-owned accommodation for emergency and permanent options will also allow us more strategic direct accommodation types in the future.

As called for in the motion, a proposal for the contribution model for people in international protection will be brought to the Government next week. It is something I very strongly believe in. This is not designed to solve how IPAS is paid for. It is designed out of fairness. When somebody has a right to work and they are here in the State working after six months because they are entitled to do so, and going through IPAS, they should make a contribution towards their accommodation, in the same way as the person standing beside them working in the shop, the factory or the high-tech business makes a contribution towards their accommodation when they go home in the evening. It is all about fairness.

The motion calls for enhanced border control and fast removals. I assure the House that we wholeheartedly agree with this. The Department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement, with 4,200 deportation orders signed this year. We have also used charter flights to bolster our capacity, and An Garda Síochána to enforce a greater number of deportation orders. It is the preferred option, though, and I always make this point because it is the most cost-effective and cheapest, to have people go through voluntary return and to make this available to people, and we will continue to do so. Already this year, 1,393 people have availed of this option.

The Department is developing a broader security strategy to deliver stronger border security, ensuring technology supports and enhanced border screening. The strategy is reviewing the potential of extending pre-clearance mechanisms, such as electronic travel authorisation, for travel to designated third countries. There is ongoing work with the airlines on ensuring passengers have the appropriate documentation when boarding. These operations, including the doorstop operations at airports, have significantly reduced the number of people arriving without documentation, and reduced it by up to 54% in 2024.

On integration, which is very important, the system is not just about faster processing and being more effective; we must have an integration system which measures those who have been granted permission to remain in the State. As such, I am pleased to be investing in a range of measures relating to integration, including community-led initiatives. A range of supports and services are provided through IPAS. There is also a range of supports and services provided to local community groups to help with integration. It is very important that integration remains a key part of how we look at this issue. The integration fund, for which I have responsibility, supports organisations to carry out integration projects at national, regional and local level. Last week, I announced 117 community-based projects, which received 3.6 million in funding under the project.

I am conscious of time. There are a couple of other things I would like to mention. We need to build on and develop a good, wider understanding of migration in order for us all to be able to discuss it and to take part in debates on it. The Government will not oppose the motion as put forward, but does not accept the amendment proposed by Senator Keogan.

I am pleased to have come here today to outline the measures the Government has put in place to ensure our rules-based immigration system is firm, fair, effective, robust, enforced and humane. It is there to protect our borders. It is also there to ensure that people have the right to come here and work and help us in every way to support our economy and develop our communities. I believe it is going to be a key part of the new modern Ireland, which we all live in and which we all want to see. I thank Senators again for their contributions. They are very much appreciated.