President signs IP bill, but ‘concerns remain’
President Connolly has signed the International Protection Bill 2026 into law, but she says that the concerns that led to her to call a meeting of the Council of State remain.
At a meeting at Áras an Uachtaráin on Monday, the president heard views from the council on whether the bill or any of its provisions were repugnant to the Constitution.
In a statement yesterday (22 April), President Connolly said that she had considered the views expressed by council members on the constitutionality of the bill and in relation to specific sections.
She said that she had signed the bill after carefully considering all constitutional and other aspects of the legislation and weighing all the options available to her.
Challenge
The president referred to article 34.3 of the Constitution, which prevents any legislation from being challenged further after a referral from Áras an Uachtaráin to the Supreme Court.
“In this context, the capacity of a putative litigant to take a case on the basis of facts, rather than abstract grounds, has to be taken into account,” she stated.
The statement said that the decision to sign the bill did not close off any potential challenge to the bill’s provisions in the future.
The president’s decision to call a meeting of the Council of State came after the bill passed through the Houses of the Oireachtas last week.
The legislation brings Ireland into line with the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which is aimed at harmonising and improving the management of migration across the EU.