James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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115. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the way in which he plans to address the issue of age verification for unaccompanied minors who arrive in Ireland and seek international protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68447/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware Ireland has opted in to the EU Asylum and Migration Pact which is due to enter operation in 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 General Scheme of a new International Protection Bill to give effect to the measures of the Pact was approved by Government on 29 April 2025. The Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration recently conducted pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme. The drafting of the Bill is well advanced and it is expected that the Bill will be published by the end of the year. Enactment of the Bill and commencement of the Act is required by 11 June 2026.

The measures of the Pact, in particular, the Reception Conditions Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1346), the Asylum Procedures Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1348), and the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1351) set out safeguards and procedural guarantees for unaccompanied minors in the international protection process and will be given effect in the International Protection Bill. The Bill will also provide for appropriate alignment with the Screening Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1356). As required by the Pact measures, the Bill will make provision for the appointment of representatives to assist and safeguard the interests of unaccompanied minors.

Additionally, the International Protection Bill, will propose that the determining authority – the replacement for the International Protection Office - will arrange and be responsible for the management of age assessments. The new legislation will set out in far greater detail how age is to be assessed and provide for regulations governing the standards, qualifications of personnel and so on for the purposes of that process.

My Department works closely with Tusla in relation to all matters concerning minors, and is engaging with Tusla to design the new mechanism envisaged under the proposed legislation, and to bring it into effect ahead of the commencement of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact.

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his Department’s plans for the designation of further countries as safe countries of origin, for the purposes of international protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68266/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that under section 72 of the International Protection Act, I, as Minister for Justice may make an order designating a country as a safe country of origin.

A country may only be designated as a safe country of origin where satisfied it can be shown that there:

* is generally and consistently no persecution;

* no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and

* no threat by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.

Ireland currently has fifteen countries designated as safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, South Africa, Botswana, Algeria, Brazil, Egypt, India, Malawi and Morocco.

I will continue to keep the list of safe countries under review.

As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland has opted in to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact , a new EU framework to manage migration and asylum for the long-term. The overall objective of the Pact is to provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be done through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.

The Asylum Procedure Regulation (Regulation 2024/1348) makes provision for the designation of safe countries of origin at European Union level. Common designation of safe countries of origin at Union level should ensure that the safe country of origin concept is applied by all Member States in a uniform manner in relation to applicants whose countries of origin are designated as safe at Union level. The Proposal does not propose to amend Article 64 of the Asylum Procedure Regulation. Therefore, the right of Member States to designate additional countries outside the common list will continue.