Tipperary TD slams Government on Bill proposal at High Court

Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath has launched a furious criticism of the Government following their announcement Wednesday morning at the High Court of a Bill they aim to propose to the Dáil in November.

The Bill will seek to circumvent any challenges to IPAS Centres.

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Deputy McGrath has accused the Government of waiting until the last minute to share this Bill with the Court, despite having been given ample time to produce it by Justice Emily Farrell.

The announcement came during a case in which Westmeath County Councillor Paul Hogan successfully challenged planning permission for a State-owned IPAS centre on environmental and planning grounds.

At the last hour, the State produced a General Scheme of a Planning and Development Act (Planning Status of State sites) Amendment Bill 2025’, stating their aim to put it to the Dáil in November.

“This Bill is unsigned by any Minister, we have no idea what Department it came from or even where it came from,” said Deputy McGrath.

“These have been a ham-fisted, dysfunctional, disgraceful action from the Government in the past number of years in relation to IPAS Centres. And to think that today, they would subvert the course of justice? That they would tell the Court and Justice Farrell that they’re going to bring legislation in November 2025 which we haven’t seen sight nor sound of before now – we haven’t seen any pre-legislation scrutiny.”

The Independent TD was responding to the part of the Bill that proposes to ensure that “where the said Order had subsequently been rescinded,” that any works undertaken on the basis of that rescinded Order will be “regularised” so that “operations may proceed as envisaged under the original Ministerial Orders.”

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It means that even though the State has been challenged and forced to concede on the validity of the Statutory Instrument that provided the legal basis for the asylum centre in Athlone, and similar to those at Crooksling, Thornton Hall and elsewhere; that the new legislation will allow the State to ignore all of that and to proceed with the maintenance of existing or planned asylum accommodation centres on State lands.

Deputy McGrath concluded by criticising the Government running roughshod over these legitimate legal challenges: “This Government are out of control. When it comes to IPAS and flooding our country with international protection applicants beyond our capacity, particularly when we know so many have no legal right to be here. This Government have no sense of care for the people they are affecting. I am furious at this development.”