Correspondence from the Department of Justice and Equality regarding the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill was recently received by my Department and officials are currently considering the submission.
I understand that work is ongoing between the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and officials in the Department of Justice and Equality in relation to the Bill and that it will come before Government again later this year. At such time, my Department will have the opportunity to provide observations on the Bill as part of the normal process of interdepartmental consultation on legislation.
Ireland’s obligations as a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are among the considerations that inform a sponsoring department’s preparation of proposed legislation impacting on children. Consideration of the provisions of the Convention in the case of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill is a matter for the Department of Justice and Equality.