On Tuesday morning, 80% of asylum applicants were crossing the Border, and by the evening, this figure had increased to 90% according to one account. Indeed, at one point it was alleged to be 91% by a political commentator. However, the fact remains that the authenticity of these claims is unknown. The switch in the practice of asylum claims from airports to the International Protection Office on Mount Street, however, is palpable.
The credibility of these statistics is the cause of one political dispute. Is there a rush of asylum seekers breaching the Border? Even the claim of 80% is hotly debated.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee insisted on Tuesday that the data she presented the previous week indicating that a minimum of 80% of asylum seekers were entering Ireland via the land Border with Northern Ireland was accurate. She also mentioned that she had discussed this issue with Micheál Martin, Tánaiste, and he was in agreement with the figures, even though he previously stated that they were not data-driven.
A more severe and overarching political dispute is detailed in our main story by Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy, revealing that the novel emergency laws to repatriate asylum applicants to the UK are estimated to be enacted “within weeks”. However, that assessment comes with a catch. As my colleagues note: “There is still uncertainty about how effective this will be in action.”
Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, has refused to permit the return of asylum seekers from Ireland. At the same time, Simon Harris, the Taoiseach, anticipates that an existing agreement from November 2020 on the repatriation of asylum seekers between the two nations will continue to be respected.
The question remains what will become of this 2020 arrangement, conceived post-Brexit? According to the British, it is merely a “operational arrangement”, with no legal responsibility to accept asylum seekers returning from Ireland to the UK.
There is a crucial section in the article that addresses the governmental admission that this operational agreement has not been applied until now, given that no asylum seekers have been sent back to the UK in recent years.
Jennifer also delves into the political repercussions in her detailed analysis.
In other news, Taoiseach Simon Harris has pledged to dismantle the tented site around Mount Street’s International Protection Office.
Astonishing aerial photographs of the campsite were captured yesterday by Niall Carson from PA using drone technology. The images highlight the vast size of the space. On the subject, the Taoiseach showed determination on Tuesday, stating that it will not be re-established once it is dismantled. We await to see if this assurance is upheld over time.
Marie O’Halloran provides a comprehensive breakdown of the happenings in the Dáil.
In the realm of political bidding, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were hot out of the gate at their respective Ardfheiseanna, promising changes to tax, increases in welfare and adjustments to pensions.
Sinn Féin also made their move this week by introducing a private members motion which urges the reversal of excise duty increases on petrol and diesel. In their alternative budget last autumn, they expressed a desire to eradicate the remaining slice of the discount that the Government implemented during the April energy/cost-of-living crisis. They now say the government should pause the return to the original duties as the price discrepancy between North and South is too substantial. An election may well be looming!
Top Reads
Miriam Lord consistently provides a unique perspective. Today she outdid herself by revealing that Richard Boyd-Barrett enjoys significant popularity in Malaysia – an unlikely location.
Newton Emerson presents an insightful critique of the British government’s policy on Rwanda.
Marie O’Halloran brings news that neutrality is ‘not in jeopardy’ with the removal of the triple lock for UN peacekeeping missions, according to Taoiseach Simon Harris.
Allow me to digress slightly from politics. Ed Power’s recent review of Conan O’Brien’s guest role on the TG4 soap Ros na Rún is terrific. Conan gave a vibrant performance as a balloon seller, making use of his limited Gaelic with an unmissable American twang. Ed’s penultimate paragraph elicited hearty laughter from me and is an ideal encapsulation of why Ros na Rún is a must-watch.
In the latest episode of Ros Na Rún, there isn’t any mention of him, although the episode is full of the usual eccentric storylines for which the show is known. One narrative involves a female character drugging a man’s cuppa with fentanyl and subsequently proposing a rendezvous in his lorry (he collapses in the middle of the tryst); while another plotline sees an older gentleman accused of infidelity.
Parliamentary Timetable
House of Representatives
09:10: Current Concerns
09:58: Personal Members’ Debate (Rural Independent Group): Motion regarding EU Migration and Asylum Treaty
12:00: Questions to the Leaders
12:34: Questions on Policies or Laws
13:04: Questions to the Prime Minister
14:49: Residential Institutional Abuse Survivors Support Bill 2024 – Second Reading
17:30: Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking Criminal Law Bill 2023 – Review and Closing Stages
19:30: Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 – Review and Closing Stages.
21:30: Delayed Votes: Motion about Amendments to Petrol and Diesel Excise Duty Increases
22:00: House of Representatives concludes
Senate
Wed, 1 May 2024
10.30: Kick-off
12.45: Health (Abortion Services Termination) (Safe Access Areas) Bill 2023 – Review and Closing Stages
15.30: Personal Members’ Debate: (Green Party Senators)
17.30: Senate concludes
Committees
Today’s committee meetings are particularly busy with debates on public dental services, the priority policy for town centres, Irish language growth outside the Gaeltacht areas, a discussion on faulty concrete blocks, and concerns about horse welfare.
09.30: Social Security and Rural Development.
Engagement on Our Rural Future and the execution of Town Centre First Regulations
9.30: Joint Committee on Trade and Employment
The functioning and mandate of the Health and Safety Authority
09.30: Joint Health Committee
A briefing on the challenges impacting dentistry services delivery
10.00: European Matters
A debate on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the EU’s implementation of the SDGs.
13.30: Irish Language Joint Committee
Language planning outside the Gaeltacht
13.30: Finance, Public Expenditure
A dialogue concerning the problems surrounding faulty concrete blocks will take place. The Finance Committee will gather at 17.30 to ponder over the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate, and Nature Fund Bill 2024. Finance Minister Michael McGrath will attend the committee stage deliberation.
Matters concerning the welfare of horses and adherence to the law will be discussed at the Agriculture meeting at 19.00. Concurrently, the ‘Disability Matters’ section will explore the UNCRPD at a local standpoint, focusing on employment matters.