Migration and Citizenship: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
============================================================

Mark Ward (SF), Dublin Mid-West

Irish citizenship is something to be valued. It represents membership of our nation, carries rights and responsibilities and should reflect a genuine and lasting commitment to Ireland. When I first heard the Government was looking to change citizenship rules I thought it was just a smokescreen to hide its failures on migration in general, and nothing I have heard since has led me to change my mind. The Government is just looking to go after low-hanging fruit. It is going after people who have migrated to our island, who have already contributed positively to our country, who work hard, who are part of our communities and who want to become citizens. All the Government has done is create uncertainty for these people, and to me this is wrong. I recognise any changes to citizenship rules can create uncertainty for those seeking to acquire Irish citizenship, and this needs to be considered.
For too long successive governments of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed to develop a coherent citizenship policy. The current system relies heavily on length of residence and rules that are often unclear to applicants. Time spent in Ireland does and should matter but it should not be the only determining factor. Those seeking citizenship must demonstrate integration, contribution, good character and a commitment to Irish society. If you believe in a rules-based system for migration, those rules must be enforced, not next week, next year or in five years’ time. Those rules must be enforced quickly and efficiently. If you are someone who enters our country seeking refuge and you have a right to be here, you should be afforded every single opportunity by the State to make a positive contribution to our society. If you have not got the right to be here, as outlined in the rules, then you should be returned to your country of origin as quickly and as safely as possible. Most decent people on this island would agree with that. People I talk to when I am canvassing day to day and speaking to them face to face would agree that is a fair system.
On international protection, I have raised before many times, especially in relation to Saggart, IPAS centres should not be located in communities that already lack services and facilities and which are already experiencing deprivation. There needs to be a process of engagement with communities. In previous debates we put forward amendments that would ensure communities are consulted and that there is a conversation about new IPAS centres going into their areas and that their genuine concerns are listened to, but the Government and other parties voted against this. When communities are not listened to it creates a vacuum for bad actors to fill, often with false information. This can lead to division and unrest in our communities and this is the last thing we need.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30