Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Now let us discuss how we can address those issues. Let us discuss how the PSNI and An Garda Síochána can work more closely. Let us discuss how we can work to protect the common travel area from abuse. Let us work to see how we can - I welcome the Deputy's comments - work at an EU level because I do not believe we can go it alone. We may differ on some of the detail of the migration paths and I look forward to the opportunity to debate that in the House, but I very much agree on the ultimate need to overhaul EU rules.

I believe the way the Deputy has described the situation on Mount Street is fair. There are two aspects to Mount Street. The first is the need to provide all those vulnerable people living in tents with access to accommodation and a safer setting as quickly as possible. My colleague the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is working very actively on that with a number of other agencies and organisations. That is happening. Deputy Ó Ríordáin does not need to shake his head; it is happening in my constituency.

The second is that once we clear Mount Street and provide people with a safer setting and access to sanitation, we need to make sure that the laws of the land are applied and it is not allowed to happen again because we do not live in a country where makeshift shantytowns are allowed to just develop. We do not and we cannot because the laws of the land are there. I am saying very clearly the plan is to provide the people on Mount Street with better accommodation and access to sanitation and not to allow a situation where ad hocery can come about in terms of the development of accommodation.

See this speech in context