Colm Brophy

The Deputy will be aware that we do not have an exit system for leaving our country. The reason is that there are various circumstances concerning how we manage people coming and going, particularly with the common travel area. We believe, based on clear indications, that the vast majority of people served with a deportation order do actually leave the country. The indication is that people who a…

Last week, I was delighted to attend the citizenship ceremonies, along with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins. We welcomed more than 7,500 new Irish citizens. My Department is committed to providing the best possible service to the customers of our citizenship division. We have taken significant steps to speed up the process for applicants. The steps have …

Based on the trend in recent years, we probably will see either sustained or small increases in the number of applications. We are always looking at how the system works to try to make it work better and ensure people have a speedy response to their request. If we are looking at increased numbers, we will look at how we are handling and processing applications. It is important to mention again th…

I acknowledge there is a gap between the ceremony and the receipt of certificate. We are working on trying to tighten up and make sure the process involves as short a wait as possible. To deal with the issues the Deputy quite rightly raises as regards the impact this can have on some individuals, the primary allocation of resources was into shortening the time for people to receive their citizens…

I thank the Deputy for his question. As he mentioned, legal migration plays an essential and very positive role in Ireland's society and economy. Legal pathways are vital to addressing labour shortages in the economy. I have been working closely with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to ensure that Ireland's legal employment pathways are efficient and as convenient as possible. …

To give the Deputy an idea of what the next steps are, an implementation team has been established, chaired jointly with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, which will commence implementation of the single permit model. The adoption of the single permit approach is expected to be done by 2027. The programme will be delivered on a phased basis. The new application platform will be…

There is an ongoing process in the Department to reach out to try to simplify and put the application process in place. The answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". By 2027, it will be a complete one-stop shop and the process will be coming. That is the target date we are working towards for the completion of the process. In the intervening period, my counterpart in the Department of enterprise …

I will begin by reiterating that it is a central priority of the Government that our immigration laws are robust and that they are enforced. Ireland is committed to the continued advancement of the common European asylum system to ensure a consistent, fair and sustainable asylum procedure at all times, not just at times of migratory pressure. Such a system demands a sharing of responsibility throu…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: R…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: C…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: R…

I reiterate what I said in my opening remarks, which is that the essential priority for the Government in our immigration laws is that they are robust and enforced. People are entitled to have confidence in our immigration system and there obviously must be consequences for individuals who refuse to leave the State when they are ordered to do so. Returns and readmission are fundamental pillars of…

We are actually engaging in an initial stage which, as the Deputy fully knows, will come back afterwards to the House for full discussion, if we choose to opt in at the end. While the numbers coming to Ireland from Kazakhstan are low, and I accept the point made about applications for international protection in 2022 and the five applications in 2024, opting into the Council's decision to open ne…

We are not outsourcing to the EU. We are part of the European Union. It is important that we acknowledge that and a common approach is the best, which is why we have opted in to the European asylum and migration pact. It is also worth noting, in light what seems to be a presumption that we are automatically bound by any agreement resulting from negotiations, that the aim is simply to give the Com…

All the Government has done with regard to deportation flights is to see the process through, and it is important to recognise that.

There is no desire by the Government to initially move to things like deportation flights. They are an end part of a process where we actually believe people have been given an opportunity to voluntarily return at the start, and for people to engage in leaving in other ways.

It is a complete misrepresentation of the Government's position to say there is somehow any glee or joy in-----

-----communicating on deportation flights, but they are part of it. What we are doing here, as I said, is a process of engagement. I would ask, therefore, that the House would support this exercise for Ireland's opt-in in respect of this measure. I thank the Deputies for their consideration on this important matter.

I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising this matter today. It is important to note that as Minister of State with responsibility for migration, I do not comment on individual immigrant investor programme applications. In general terms, I can inform Deputy Whitmore that my Department does not receive or hold funds at any stage in the IIP process, nor does it have any role in the administration of an ap…

If Deputy Whitmore is quoting Fine Gael Ministers it is very important that she does so correctly.

To continue to answer Deputy Whitmore, I am aware that applicants and projects are anxious to receive a decision on their applications. I assure her that the IIP unit in the Department is committed to ensuring that all applications are examined on their own merits and endeavours to conclude decisions in a timely manner. The IIP unit continues to communicate with projects seeking to benefit from in…

We will get it to Deputy Whitmore.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity, on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil its current position on Scoil Chroí Naofa in Ballinasloe, County Galway. This project is included in the Department of Education and Youth’s construction programme which will be delivered under the national development plan, NDP, as part of the Projec…

I will bring that back to the Minister on the Deputy's behalf. I know there were delays with this relating to a change to increase the number of classrooms, as well as proposals by the local authority to alter the road layout and access. This necessitated a new planning application, as I am sure the Deputy is well aware. The final grant of that planning permission for the project, as currently des…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to clarify the position in relation to the Department of Education and Youth’s plans for upgrading school buildings, including CBS, New Ross, County Wexford. As the Deputy is aware, he school had an enrolment in 2024 of 413 pupils. This represents an increase of 4% in the past five years. The Department approved signi…