Head of asylum-inspection body appointed
The Government has appointed barrister Enda O’Neill to head a new office to monitor asylum border procedures, which was set up under legislation enacted this year.
O'Neill has been named as the chief inspector of border asylum procedures for a five-year term, effective from Friday (11 September).
The International Protection Act 2026 provided for the establishment of the Office of the Chief Inspector of Asylum Border Procedures.
The office has been created to monitor asylum border procedures and compliance with EU and international law – including the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights – in designated facilities.
Complaints
As well as monitoring compliance with the law at such facilities, the chief inspector will also be the competent supervisory authority for recording and handling any complaints originating at a designated border facility.
O’Neill has been recommended for the role by Publicjobs.ie after an open competition.
He previously headed the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Dublin from 2015 to 2025.
O’Neill qualified from King’s Inns and was called to the Bar in 2007.
He specialised in areas that included criminal law, immigration and international-protection law, judicial review, and European law.
Welcoming the appointment, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said that the “important role” would be responsible for all inspections of designated asylum border facilities and would include the power to receive complaints and carry out formal investigations into potential breaches of fundamental rights.