Finance « Thurles Information

Government Welcomes Commencement Of The International Protection Act 2026.

Most significant reform of Irish asylum laws in the history of the State.
Gives effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which commences today across Member States.
Co-ordination across the EU, shorter processing times for applications, and reduced time spent in IPAS accommodation.

The Irish Government welcomes the commencement of the International Protection Act 2026 today, 12th June 2026.

The legislation represents the most significant reform of Irish asylum laws in the history of the State and gives effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.
The objective of the Act is to provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure that is consistent with how asylum laws operate across the EU.

Under the Act, upon arrival in the State, applicants will be required to go through screening, which will involve enhanced security and identity checks and the taking of biometric data.
The Act also provides for faster processing, including an accelerated Border Procedure for some applicants, where all decisions and appeals will be concluded within three months.

The Border Procedure will apply to applicants from countries where the proportion of decisions granting international protection is 20% or lower. It can also be used for applicants who are known to have misled authorities or to have destroyed or disposed of an identity or travel document.
A new State body, the Tribunal for Asylum and Returns Appeals, TARA, will have responsibility for appeals, while the removal and deportations process will be faster and less bureaucratic.

The Government has stated: “Ireland must have a rules-based immigration system. Today, the commencement of the International Protection Act 2026 marks an important milestone in ensuring the integrity and efficiency of the asylum process, and further building public confidence in the system.
This historic reform recognises that migration is a challenge not just at a national level but at a European level. Agreeing migration and asylum policy at an EU level means coordinated actions including sharing of information, reducing the number of people applying for protection in numerous EU countries and reviving the return of applicants to the first country they applied in.

The Government sincerely thanks the officials across the Department and across government for their committed work in delivering this Programme for Government commitment.”
Decision-making under the Act will be faster, meaning successful applicants will be granted international protection sooner, and those whose applications are refused can be returned to their country of origin sooner.
Faster processing will result in increased savings to the Exchequer, with applicants spending less time in the international protection process and in accommodation.
Government has also today appointed Her Honour Judge Karen Fergus as Interim Chief Inspector of Border Procedures to monitor compliance with fundamental human rights in the asylum Border Procedure. Her Honour Judge Fergus is a retired Judge of the Circuit Court.“

On the commencement of the International Protection Act, Government said: “The International Protection Act is a much needed, radical reform of international protection in this country and will vastly improve efficiencies in the system. The faster processing under these new rules will mean that accommodation requirements and costs will reduce in the years ahead.”

Government has also today announced the introduction of an accommodation requirement for those seeking to have their family join them in the State. These changes will take effect from today, June 12th.
General Employment Permit holders and other Category C sponsors will be required to provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that they are in a position to accommodate their joining family members, while all sponsors will be ineligible if they are in certain supported accommodation.

The financial thresholds for Irish citizens applying to be joined by spouses and children are also increasing from today. A sponsor must now show a gross income over three years of €75,000, or €25,000 per year. This is an increase from €40,000, or €13,333 per year. Other financial thresholds will increase in line with indexation.

People granted international protection status will also now be required to wait two years from the date they were granted protection before becoming eligible to apply for family reunification under the new Act. Applicants must also meet a number of additional requirements, including demonstrating that the sponsor has sufficient financial resources to support family members without placing an undue burden on the State.

There are certain exceptions where the sponsor is a minor. In addition, the sponsor must not be in receipt of certain social protection payments or housing supports and must not owe a debt to the State for a defined period prior to submitting an application.

Commenting on these new measures, Government stated: “Family reunification remains an important part of our immigration system, and these changes are intended to ensure that the policy continues to operate in a fair, transparent and sustainable manner. The revised policy strengthens accommodation and financial requirements for sponsors, providing greater clarity for applicants, while ensuring that those seeking family reunification are able to support those joining them.”

Rotunda Row – Private Maternity Care – Public Contracts – Question of Refunds.

The recent dispute involving the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin has raised important questions about public healthcare, private maternity care and the obligations of consultants working under public-only contracts.

At the centre of the controversy is the Public-Only Consultant Contract. This contract was introduced as part of efforts to reduce private care within Irish public hospitals and strengthen the public health system. Consultants who sign it receive public salaries on the understanding that they will not carry out private practice in public hospital settings, except where specific rules allow it.

The issue arose because some consultants at Dublin’s Rotunda hospital, who were on public-only contracts, were still treating private maternity patients on the hospital campus. This led to a clash between the hospital, the HSE and the Minister for Health, Ms Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

The Rotunda initially defended its position, saying it believed women should have choice in maternity care and continuity with a consultant during pregnancy and birth. However, the HSE and the Minister said the arrangement was not in line with the terms of the public-only contract or the hospital’s agreement with the State.
The pressure on the hospital increased when the HSE warned that continued non-compliance could lead to consequences under its service arrangement, including the possible withholding of funding. The Rotunda has now agreed that consultants on public-only contracts will no longer treat private patients in the hospital.

A further question now concerns women who paid for private or semi-private care from consultants who were, at the same time, employed under public-only contracts. The Minister suggested that women who paid for such care in 2026 may be entitled to refunds. The Rotunda, however, has said that whether refunds are owed is an issue between the consultant and the private patient.

That distinction matters. The hospital appears to be saying that the private fee arrangement was not necessarily with the hospital itself, but with individual consultants. However, the wider public concern remains; if a consultant was being paid by the State to provide public-only care, should patients also have been charged privately for treatment in the same public hospital setting?
This row is not just about one hospital. It goes to the heart of a wider debate in Irish healthcare; how to balance patient choice, continuity of care, consultant contracts and equality of access. Many women value private maternity care because it can offer reassurance and continuity. But public hospitals are heavily funded by taxpayers, and the State’s policy is to ensure that public resources are not used in ways that give paying patients unfair priority.

The Rotunda is one of Ireland’s busiest and best-known maternity hospitals. The dispute has therefore become a test case for how strictly the public-only consultant contract will be enforced across the health service.

For affected patients, the immediate concern is clarity; who was paid, what service was promised, and whether any refund is due.

For the public, the bigger issue is whether Ireland is serious about separating public and private care in public hospitals, or whether exceptions will continue to blur the line.

Liberty Music Festival Confirms Thurles, Co. Tipperary, Weekend Will Go Ahead.

Organisers of the 2026 Thurles Liberty Music Festival have moved to reassure ticket holders, music fans, local businesses and the wider Thurles community that this year’s festival will go ahead as planned on Saturday, July 4th and Sunday, July 5th, 2026.

**Three festival-goers smile for the camera at Thurles Liberty Music Festival 2022, capturing the friendly, colourful atmosphere of this annual event.**
**The festival is held in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, and is known as an outdoor tribute-band festival with a lively mix of music, crowds, and summer energy.**

*Picture: G. Willoughby*.

The clarification follows understandable concern after the news that Tickets.ie, the ticketing platform previously linked with the event, has ceased trading and is now entering liquidation.

Organiser of the Liberty Music Festival, Cllr. Mr Jim Ryan said that the festival “will definitely go ahead” as alternative and as yet undisclosed funding methods are being put in place.
Cllr. Ryan said that because this festival is still a few weeks away, he has had the opportunity to make alternative funding arrangements “to get it over the line”.

Above video courtesy G. Willoughby.

All key commitments remain in place, including the venue, artists, production, operations and event arrangements. The festival team has also confirmed that customers will receive updated communication by email, with new tickets to be issued through the festival’s new ticketing partner, Gr8 Events.

This means ticket holders should watch their inboxes carefully over the coming days and follow official festival updates only. Anyone who purchased tickets should wait for the updated email and new ticket details rather than relying on old ticket links or third-party information.

The message from organisers is clear: despite the difficulties caused by the collapse of Tickets.ie, the Thurles festival weekend remains on course.

Liberty Music Festival is set to bring a major weekend of live music, entertainment and visitors to Thurles, and organisers say they are looking forward to welcoming everyone on July 4th and 5th.

Ireland Faces EU Court Action Over Peat Cutting Enforcement.

Ireland Faces EU Court Action Over Peat Cutting Enforcement And Why It Matters for Our Bogs.

The European Commission has referred Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union over what it says is a failure to properly enforce EU environmental rules on peat cutting.

The case centres on Ireland’s obligations under the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, which requires projects likely to have significant environmental effects; including peat extraction, to be assessed before they proceed.

According to the Commission, there is still “significant peat cutting activity” taking place without planning permission or environmental impact assessment, particularly on sites under 50 hectares. While Ireland has made legislative changes over the years, Brussels says those changes have not been matched by effective enforcement on the ground.

The issue is not new. It dates back to EU environmental rules first introduced in 1985, with Ireland previously brought before the European Court of Justice in the late 1990s. Although Irish laws were later amended, the Commission says follow-up enforcement remained inadequate.

Since 2020, Ireland has taken major steps to halt peat cutting by Bord na Móna, and rehabilitation of former industrial bog sites is now underway, with support from EU recovery funding. The Environmental Protection Agency has also pursued enforcement against private commercial operators on sites over 50 hectares, leading some operators to cease activity.
However, the Commission says illegal or unauthorised peat cutting continues, and that local-level enforcement has not been sufficient.

This issue is also relevant to Co. Tipperary, where protected raised bog habitats form part of the county’s natural heritage. Sites such as Kilcarren-Firville Bog highlight the importance of safeguarding peatlands from extraction, drainage and habitat damage.

It is also worth noting the political sensitivity of this issue. Ireland currently has public representatives in both Leinster House and the European Parliament whose political careers were strongly shaped by the turf-cutting and bog-rights campaigns. Mr Michael Fitzmaurice TD, now a Roscommon–Galway TD, was previously chairperson of the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, while Mr Luke “Ming” Flanagan MEP has long been associated with defending traditional turf-cutting rights in rural Ireland. Their continued presence in national and European politics shows how deeply this issue remains rooted in rural communities, livelihoods, tradition, conservation, and EU environmental law.

Peatlands are more than traditional landscapes. They store carbon, support biodiversity, help regulate water, and form part of Ireland’s environmental identity. The EU court referral is therefore not just a legal matter — it is a reminder that protecting bogs requires clear rules, strong enforcement, and real action on the ground.

EPA Projections Show Ireland Remains Off Track For 2030 Climate Targets.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emission projections for the period 2025-2055.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions could achieve a reduction of up to 25% by 2030, compared to a national target of 51%, with full implementation of a wide range of policies and plans across all sectors.
Ireland will be close to meeting the first carbon budget, but nearly all sectors are on track to exceed their sectoral emissions ceilings for the second carbon budget by 2030.
Ireland is projected to exceed its EU Effort Sharing Regulation target of 42% reduction by 2030. EPA projects a maximum reduction of 23%.
With less than four years left to 2030, there must be a strong focus on implementation of policies and measures to meet climate targets which will deliver wide-ranging benefits from environmental protection, supporting public health and wellbeing and reducing Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels.

EPA analysis shows that Ireland’s planned climate policies and measures could deliver reductions of up to 25% of emissions by 2030, compared to 2018 levels. Assessment of the latest information provided by Governmental bodies and sector representatives indicates that the gap to target is widening in some sectors of the economy, while narrowing in others.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to be close to meeting the first Carbon Budget (2021-2025) of 295 Mt CO2eq. The second budget is projected to be exceeded by a significant margin of 53 to 82 Mt CO2eq.

Transport, Industry and the Buildings (Commercial and Public) sectors are projected to be the furthest from achieving their sectoral emission ceilings in 2030. Agriculture emissions are projected to reduce by up to 19%.

Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Director General, said: “The EPA’s projections show that the current rate of delivery of the Climate Action Plan and associated policies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 – only half of the reductions needed. While greenhouse gas emissions are declining, European and national emission reduction targets are projected to be missed. There must be a renewed focus on delivering the actions to meet Ireland’s climate targets which will be a significant challenge given the short timeframe to 2030.”

Dr Cotter added: “Meeting these targets will deliver multiple benefits. These include reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels in electricity, transport and heating and strengthening national energy security and resilience. Achieving these emission reductions will also improve public health, provide green employment and protect our environment. Overall, these trends demonstrate that progress is achievable but accelerating delivery is critical. Renewable energy is now expected to provide nearly 60% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030. It is imperative given the increasing demand for electricity across several sectors, that renewables are delivered at the pace and scale required to meet this demand.”

Agriculture.
Depending on the level of implementation of measures outlined in Government policies and plans, total emissions from the Agriculture sector will decrease between 4% and 19% over the period of 2018 to 2030. Changes in nitrogen fertiliser usage, switching to different fertilisers and lower anticipated livestock numbers contribute to projected emissions savings. A direct comparison of the Agriculture sector against its absolute Sectoral Emission Ceiling is no longer possible given recent scientific updates to baseline historical agriculture emissions.

Transport.
Emissions from Transport are projected to reduce by up to 28% over the period 2018 to 2030, if the measures set out in plans and policies are implemented. These include at least 751,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, increased biofuel blend rates and measures to support more sustainable transport.

Residential Emissions.
Emissions from fuel combustion for home and hot water heating are projected to decrease by up to 18% by 2030. Lower uptake of home energy improvement measures, including planned heat pump installation in existing dwellings, has lowered predictions for emissions savings by 2030.

Industry.
Fuel combustion in manufacturing is the primary source of emissions in this sector; emissions from mineral, chemical and metal industries contribute the next largest portion. Emissions from this sector are projected to reduce by 12% over the period 2018 to 2030.

Energy.
Continued rollout of renewable electricity generation to provide 52% – 59% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030 as well as increased importation of electricity from interconnectors, are contributing to reductions in Ireland’s emissions. However, delayed delivery of planned renewable energy projects such as offshore wind have lowered potential emissions savings by 2030.

Land use.
Emissions from this sector are projected to increase between 4% to 72% over the period of 2018 to 2030 as Irish forestry reaches harvesting age, and shifts from being a carbon sink to a source of emissions. Planned policies and measures for the sector, such as increased afforestation, water table management on agricultural organic soils and peatland rehabilitation are projected to reduce the extent of the emissions increase.

Commenting, Dr Conor Quinlan, Programme Manager said: “The shortfall to our 2030 targets is narrowing in some sectors, for example emissions in the Transport sector are now projected to reduce by up to 28%. Encouragingly, projections for electric vehicle uptake has improved, reflecting growing confidence in the transition to cleaner transport. In contrast, the gap is widening in others such as the Residential sector which is projected now to reduce by up to 18%. It is imperative that ambition and action is maintained across all sectors if we are to meet our targets and realise the benefits of decarbonisation for our society.”

For further detail on these figures, see the EPA report Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections 2025 to 2055 and EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource on the EPA website.