I clearly indicated-----
TDs / Colm Brophy
Colm Brophy
Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
69,320
words spoken in the chamber
68,175 as a minister, 1,145 as a TD
397
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
The record holds no parliamentary questions from them in this Dáil.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 206 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 |
| March 2025 | 2 |
| April 2025 | 12 |
| May 2025 | 34 |
| June 2025 | 8 |
| July 2025 | 12 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 14 |
| November 2025 | 12 |
| December 2025 | 10 |
| January 2026 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 30 |
| March 2026 | 11 |
| April 2026 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 3 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 28 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 124 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin South-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Justice 25 February 2025 to 4 June 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration 5 June 2025 to now
I have clearly indicated to the Deputy.
I thank the Deputy. In relation to that, I am happy. Care and attention was taken in the drafting of that to make sure it is appropriate and correct.
My understanding is that, as part of this, there will be the deeming of countries to be safe third countries. The procedure in the new Bill is intended to be more efficient, with specific timeframes set out for the different parts of the process. The question of the UK being a safe third country will be looked at after the Bill has gone through.
Under section 74 of the International Protection Act 2015, the International Protection Office is independent in the performance of its function. Officers, in considering international protection applications at first instance, make recommendations to the Minister on the applications, but they do not make decisions. This provision was necessary at the time when the Act was drafted to allow the International Protectio…
I hear clearly what the Deputy is saying. However, I will reiterate what I said in my initial reply to him. Areas like this are looked at very carefully. Advice is sought from the Attorney General. There is clear advice on what we are doing. Therefore, I am not in a position at this point to accept the Deputy’s amendment.
As I have mentioned in relation to this - and I appreciate the Deputy has too - this will be examined in terms of the UK prior to commencement and it can be done by ministerial action. It is our intention to look at this after the enactment of the Bill.
It is section 11 and it will be resolved by the designation of Britain, which can be done prior, as I said, to the commencement by the Minister.
A huge amount of work has gone into this Bill for the purpose of examining the range of issues Deputies are mentioning to ensure from the Government's point of view we are bringing forward the strongest set of legislative proposals we can, taking account of the advice we have received. The Bill is designed to succeed in trying to address all the issues Members across the House want to see us address in terms of inter…
We are legislating to put in place what the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I believe is a complete overhaul of our system and what we need going forward. As other contributors have said, this is not just for the now, but for the future. That is very important. On a number of occasions, I have addressed comments on the fact that we have a strong ongoing relationship with the UK at a political and official level, an…
I thank all Deputies for their contributions. I sit and listen and sometimes wonder if there is type of parallel world here. The purpose of the Bill brought forward by the Minister and me is to reform the IPAS system in order that we will have a firm, fair and effective system. I listened to Deputies one minute welcome that and the, particularly in the case of Sinn Féin, which is a bit ludicrous, stated for purely an…
I thank Deputies Devine and Carthy for raising this issue. I also extend my appreciation to all the other speakers who contributed to the debate this evening. It was interesting to listen to so many points on which there was broad agreement in this House. It is not that usual to hear that.
As mentioned, online safety is a priority for the Government and the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and I have it at the hear…
l thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, who is fully committed to providing the necessary supports for people with disabilities throughout the country, including those in Galway.
I advise the Deputy that the Toghermore House site at Tuam, which is owned and operated by the HSE, is under review. In 2024, a HSE feasibility study was condu…
I thank the Deputy again for raising this. I know it is an important issue for the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and indeed for the whole Government. I know she is keen to ensure that all opportunities for the Toghermore campus are explored and that full service delivery capacity can be realised, to the benefit of local and surrounding communities. I reiterate the commitment of this Government to delivering real…
The programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a national migration and integration strategy detailing how the Government intends to meet the demands and opportunities facing Irish society in the coming years. The Department is currently working with other Departments to develop this strategy. As part of this strategic approach, I am reviewing the area of student permissions, including with regard to E…
In relation to students coming to the country to study, whether in the university sector or English language sector, it is my view and that of the Government that we want to have a high-quality, professional system for education. We want to see the best academic institutions providing a top-quality service, whether in English language or other areas of education.
The purpose of coming to Ireland to engage in study s…
The situation, as I outlined already, is straightforward. People come here to study. They want to study. In facilitating them studying, we also have to look at whether there should be, as there currently is, an option for them to avail of work. It enables them to participate in their studies. How that is managed is important. I would not be in favour of a process where people were effectively working on the side. It …
I thank the Deputy. As he will be aware, the humanitarian admissions programme prioritises at-risk individuals, human rights defenders, women's rights activists, LGBTQ+ individuals, judiciary and journalists for admission to Ireland as programme refugees. This is managed within the remit of the Irish refugee protection programme in the Department. Over 700 people from Afghanistan have been admitted to Ireland under t…
I fully understand and accept what the Deputy is saying about the situations people find themselves in. There is no question that I, and the people who are directly on the coalface of operating this scheme, really understand the implications of somebody being accepted or not accepted into the programme. However, as I outlined to the Deputy, the programme is a very specific programme in how it actually handles people.…
As the Deputy knows, we had an original programme in relation to Afghanistan. We have moved to this particular model for the reasons I outlined to the Deputy in my earlier contributions. I think it is important, having moved to that model and having moved to an assessment system which enables what we believe to be the fairest and most accurate assessment of who can come and who can qualify for it, that we continue wi…
There is a lot of dodgy money around-----
Deputy Hearne should be ashamed of himself. He really should be.
No.
I have a reply on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to the topical issue as originally put forward. I was here earlier on for the Deputy's intervention. I am very glad to have an opportunity to make this point. From where I was sitting, I felt and still feel that some of the Deputy's comments were totally unacceptable. An Garda Síochána is an organisation which this country can be justly proud of. It in…
We are doing stuff. I will take a few moments to outline what we are doing. Among the number of key actions we have taken is to increase the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life and enact new laws that criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime, which is legislation that is at the forefront of anything any other European country is doing. We are drafting new laws that will p…