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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Why has immigration fizzled out as an issue?
There were two stories about immigration matters this week that go some way to explaining one of the more remarkable – and yet unremarked upon – stories in Irish politics over the last 12 months: how immigration fizzled out as an issue. Firstly, the State's human rights watchdog warned the Government that it has significant concerns about legislation , due to be tabled in the Dáil in the autumn, to implement the EU's migration pact . In an analysis of the general scheme (or 'heads' – a summary of what the bill intends to do) of the International Protection Bill 2025 released on Tuesday, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) says that a tougher new asylum system may fail to protect and vindicate the human rights of asylum seekers. It also says the new system could end up being bogged down in the courts. That, I have no difficulty in believing. The second story reported that Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan briefed the Cabinet Committee on Immigration that there has been a large fall-off in the numbers seeking asylum here in the first half of the year. READ MORE O'Callaghan revealed that there has been a 43 per cent drop in the number of international protection applications in the first six months of 2025 compared to the first six months of 2024. For some people, the dramatic decline in numbers will be seen as evidence that Ireland has become less welcoming to asylum seekers, less likely to offer shelter and sanctuary to those who say they need it. And that is something that many people will regret. Certainly, it will not be welcomed by the human rights commission. But for the Government, this is exactly what it wanted. Cast your mind back to the first half of last year when immigration was the hot button political issue. The numbers of those coming to Ireland seeking asylum had rocketed since the end of the pandemic and were continuing to increase. The Irish system was becoming overwhelmed. It ran out of places to accommodate asylum seekers. A tent city sprang up around the Mount Street headquarters of the asylum service. Clearing the tents – and sending the asylum seekers elsewhere – was one of the first moves by Simon Harris when he became Taoiseach last year. It didn't solve the problem of the lack of accommodation, of course. But it certainly made it less visible. In parallel, the Government made several moves to ease pressure on the asylum service by dissuading people from coming here – principally by telling them before they arrived that there was no accommodation for them – and by increasing its efficiency. More staff were allocated, more countries were designated as 'safe', processing times were cut and deportations – largely symbolic, but important – returned. Gradually, the political temperature of the immigration issue began to ease. [ Court ruling would give newly arrived asylum seekers more rights than homeless people, Minister claims Opens in new window ] In the Department of Justice, Jim O'Callaghan has continued the policy of the last government with, if anything, more vigour. He is developing a new migration and integration strategy. In a speech at the Institute of International and European Affairs on Wednesday, he summed up the more robust approach that is now the Government's modus operandi: 'The right to apply for asylum does not and cannot equate to a right to asylum. If you are genuinely in fear of persecution, Ireland is here for you. We will process your application quickly, and we will give you every help that we can to integrate into our society.' But then he added: 'If you are not in fear of persecution but wish for a better life for yourself and your family, that is also legitimate, but our asylum laws are not here for your use. They are there to protect the persecuted. The work visa laws are there to enable people to seek an economically better life here. It is not legitimate to claim that you require international protection when you do not. It is unfair on the people who do.' I suspect this is an approach that will chime with a lot of people: repeated polls have found that the public favours tougher immigration policies. And so Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – would you believe? – have given people what they want. Publishing a white paper on migration in 2021, the former Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman once tweeted in eight languages – including Arabic, Georgian, Albanian, Somali and Urdu – that the Government would end the system of direct provision as part of improvements to the asylum system. To be fair to O'Gorman, that was a laudable goal, even if he was about to be mugged by reality. In the post-pandemic world, with millions of refugees on the move in search of safety and a better life, it was something for which Ireland was unprepared. Another lesson that the world is as it is, rather than as we would like it. O'Callaghan has yet to tweet in Urdu. [ Will dramatic immigration law reforms in Ireland change the number of people seeking asylum? Opens in new window ] There are two perhaps uncomfortable truths which underlie the national and European response to migration, and the politics it can ignite. The first is that the entire system of international protection, where countries are legally pledged to offer asylum to people fleeing political persecution, war or extreme danger, is based on the presumption that the numbers arriving in any given country will be manageable, both logistically and politically. The second is that the last 10 years of politics in Europe suggest, I am afraid, that in most – if not all – European countries, there is not public assent for the arrival of large numbers of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. And so European politicians have realised that they can deal with this by reducing migration levels – or their voters will elect somebody who will. I suspect that Ireland is no different.
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
‘Regulatory Reform Package-01': CCoRR undertakes comprehensive review of 136 proposals
ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR), chaired by the Federal Minister for Investment, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, concluded a series of three meetings held to review the Regulatory Reform Package-01, prepared and submitted by the Board of Investment (BOI). These meetings marked a key milestone in the government's efforts to simplify and modernise Pakistan's regulatory landscape in line with the directives of the prime minister. The reform package, formulated by BOI's reform team, comprised of 136 targeted proposals aimed at reducing compliance burden, eliminating outdated procedures, and enhancing the ease of doing business. The package focused on two principal areas: the streamlining of federal-level Registrations, Licenses, Certificates and Other Permits (RLCOs), and modernisation of the Companies Act, 2017 for unlisted companies. CCoRR begins deliberations on Regulatory Reforms Package 01 Over the course of the three meetings, the committee undertook a comprehensive review of 136 proposals. Notably, a sub-committee under the convenorship of Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production, was constituted to lead consultations on the Companies Act in coordination with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and other stakeholders. It is pertinent to note that out of 136 proposed reforms, 104 of proposals have been endorsed by the Cabinet Committee for implementation. These include the elimination of 19 redundant regulatory requirements, streamlining of 57 procedural requirements that includes simplification, modernisation and introduction of digital mechanisms to enhance transparency and service delivery. Once implemented, the endorsed reforms are expected to result in substantial cost savings, reduced approval timelines, and a more business-friendly regulatory ecosystem. The committee issued clear directives to relevant federal ministries and departments to ensure time-bound implementation of the approved reforms, with timelines upto 90 days based on the complexity of each reform measure. The BOI will continue to coordinate and monitor implementation progress and report back to the Cabinet Committee accordingly. It was noted that additional reform packages are in the pipeline, targeting key areas across different sectors of the economy. These upcoming packages are aimed to reduce the compliance burden on businesses and create the space they need to invest, grow and compete more effectively in local and global markets. The federal minister for investment commended the dedicated efforts of the BOI's reform team and acknowledged the constructive engagement of regulatory bodies in furthering this vital national reform agenda. The conclusion of this review process reflects the government's strong commitment to regulatory modernisation and its resolve to foster an enabling environment for business and investment in Pakistan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Irish Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Number of Palestinians claiming asylum shows sharp decline
There has been a sharp drop-off in the number of people who have come from Palestine to Ireland to claim asylum this year. Last year, there were 957 international protection applications by Palestinian people. At around 80 applications a month, it marked a sharp increase in the numbers of Palestinians seeking asylum in Ireland in the first year since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023. But in the first six months of this year, the number of applications from Palestinians has reached only 65 – or an average of almost 11 applications a month. READ MORE The figures are included in new immigration statistics which Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan will present to a Cabinet committee on immigration on Monday. Mr O'Callaghan will tell colleagues that there has been a 43 per cent drop in the number of international protection applications in the first six months of 2025 compared to the first six months of 2024. Of the 10 nationalities making up the highest number of international protection applicants in 2025, four were from countries designated as safe countries of origin. Since November 2022, applications from those coming from so-called 'safe countries' have been accelerated. 'Safe' countries in the top 10 included Nigeria, Jordan, Georgia and Algeria. There have been 926 applications from Nigeria so far in 2025, the highest number from any one country. [ Tramore community rallies around Albanian family facing deportation Opens in new window ] Mr O'Callaghan will tell colleagues that a 'significant increase' in investment into the IPAS , digitisation and process re-engineering has 'facilitated a major increase in processing capacity.' Deportations have also increased so far this year. In 2024, there were a total of 156 deportations. This included 22 people who were confirmed to have left the state without needing to be escorted by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) and 134 'forced' deportations. So far in 2025 there have been 198 deportations. This includes 28 cases of people leaving without a GNIB escort, 64 forced deportations and an additional 106 deportations by charter flight. As of last Monday, there were 33,822 pending IPAS applications at various points of the process. About 72 per cent of all International Protection applicants appeal their first instance refusal decision. [ Ireland needs immigrants. But our economy can't accommodate an infinite number Opens in new window ] The IPAS tribunal system, which considers appeals, has the capacity to consider 4,750 such appeals this year. But this is far below the 17,000 appeals that the Department of Justice expects to receive in 2025. The number of appeals completed in the first six months of this year stands at 2,455. According to the Department of Justice, an ongoing recruitment campaign is under way to increase the number of tribunal staff and the number of cases they can consider each year. It is planning to increase its full-time tribunal staff members from six to 30 and its part-time staff from 118 to 160, as well as trying to hire more legal support staff.
Business Recorder
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Stakeholders told to promote Gwadar trade routes
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal directed stakeholders to promote the Gwadar Port's cost-effective trade routes and available incentives for international businesses and early commencement of transshipment operation between Gwadar and the Persian Gulf. The minister chaired a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the Operationalisation of Gwadar Port on Friday. The meeting, coordinated by Member Infrastructure, Planning Commission Dr Waqas Anwar was attended by senior officials from Gwadar Port Authority, the ministries of Maritime Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Defence Production, Interior, Finance, Commerce, Communications, Railways, and Industries and Production. The meeting focused on finalising a comprehensive and well-coordinated plan to accelerate the operationalisation of Gwadar Port. Key agenda items included organising an international conference in Islamabad to raise global awareness about Gwadar Port, devising a robust marketing strategy, and enhancing diplomatic outreach to attract investment and trade interest from Central Asian Republics and other relevant countries. The planning minister was briefed that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs is actively engaging private shipping liners to commence transshipment operations between Gwadar and the Persian Gulf. Initial cargo categories will include minerals, dates, seafood, and cement, targeting sectors such as mining, fisheries, and processing industries. Minister Ahsan Iqbal emphasised the need to showcase Gwadar Port in international roadshows as a strategic trade hub linking the Gulf and Central Asia. 'Well-designed promotional materials must be disseminated through Pakistan's embassies and diplomatic missions worldwide to ensure global visibility for Gwadar Port,' he said. The federal minister underscored Gwadar's geostrategic value, citing its position as the shortest trade route to the Gulf and Central Asia, including countries such as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. He highlighted the port's potential as a regional transshipment hub. The planning minister instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate a four-nation consortium to undertake a pre-feasibility study aimed at linking South Asia with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from Gwadar to Oman through undersea tunnel. Proposals are also under consideration to establish ferry connections with Gulf Countries leveraging China's strong trade presence in the region. Minister Iqbal directed the Director General of Gwadar Port Authority to ensure quality accommodation and recreational facilities for international shipping crew members, encouraging repeat visits to the port. The DG confirmed that high-standard lodging, including a 5-star hotel (Pearl Continental), is available for international shipping crew members. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
CNA
08-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Pakistan approves four potential bidders for national airline PIA
The Pakistani government said on Tuesday it had approved four parties to potentially bid for a stake in Pakistan International Airlines. The sale is seen as a test of Pakistan's ability to shed loss-making state firms and meet the conditions of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout. It would be the country's first major privatisation in nearly two decades. The country's privatisation ministry said that the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation had also approved the transaction structure for the Roosevelt Hotel, New York.
