Sharon Keogan demands 12-month report on how the Act works
Sharon Keogan rises to support an amendment requiring the Minister to lay a report before both Houses within 12 months assessing how this Act functions in practice. She argues the measure is a modest, necessary step to ensure oversight, transparency and operational accountability.
What she proposes: Sharon Keogan asks the Minister to return to the Oireachtas with a formal, evidence-based review of the Act within 12 months of enactment. The amendment does not block implementation; it requires a factual assessment of how capacity, procedures and responsibilities operate once the law is applied.
Practical concerns raised: Keogan reiterates committee-stage worries about capacity, transparency and the risk of legislating without mechanisms to measure the Bill's core concepts. She emphasises that laws cannot operate on abstractions and that monitoring must follow enactment.
Concrete examples given: The speaker cites specific operational problems, including an instance during the Ukrainian crisis when 59 unaccompanied minors were brought into Ireland and assigned impromptu guardianship at the border. She also highlights that no systematic storage or analysis exists for no-shows to IPA interviews, exposing gaps in data collection.
Why it matters: Keogan frames the amendment as a matter of democratic accountability. If the Act is robust, the government can demonstrate that through review; if problems appear, the report will explain administrative or resource challenges and allow the House to respond.
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Thank you and I rise to support this amendment which simply requires that within 12 months of enactment the Minister lays before both Houses a report viewing how this Act has actually functioned in practice. It is reasonable and entirely in keeping with the oversight responsibilities of this House. During committee stage many of us highlighted concerns about the practical operations of this legislation once it leaves this Chamber and enters the real world. We spoke at length about capacity, transparency and the risk of legislating without clear mechanisms to measure how the core concepts of the Bill function in practice. I made the point then and I repeat it now that no system can operate on abstractions. If we do not monitor how effective capacity and if we do not report on it then we are legislating in a vacuum. I believe this amendment is a natural continuation of those at committee stages arguments. It builds on a structured moment for democratic accountability. It ensures that the Minister returns to this House with evidence that it is with factual assessment on how the Act has performed. Because it is really vital that we in this House and the public at large get a full look into the realities of what is happening at our borders and in our immigration system. For example I learned that on one occasion during the Ukrainian crisis 59 unaccompanied minors were brought into Ireland and that they were assigned then and there at the border to an impromptu guardianship of adults who were in their group. I also recently informed by your department that we do not systematically store or analyse data on no-shows to the IPA interviews and these are just two examples of the mountain of work that our asylum and migration systems have to do in terms of gathering, monitoring and reporting data. So this is not an obstructionist measure. It does not slow implementation. It does not bind the Minister's hands beyond asking for transparency. What it does is honour the principle we discuss repeatedly at committee stage that good legislation requires ongoing scrutiny and that the Oireachtas must retain the ability to correct course when necessary. If the government believes this Act is robust then it should welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that through a formal review and if challenges emerge, whether administrative, operational or resource-based, then this report gives the department the space to explain them and this house the opportunity to respond. For these reasons I strongly support the amendment by my colleagues and encourage colleagues to do likewise.
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