John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The core of the issue we are discussing is the Government’s shambolic approach to the asylum issue from the outset. The Government is now attempting to present the EU migration pact as a catch-all solution to the current crisis, the root of which lies in the Government’s failure to develop a coherent plan. Ultimately, it is operating a reactionary approach to events as they develop. If the Government had a fair, efficient and enforced system where the rules were actually implemented, we would not be in the situation we are today. The vast majority of measures in the EU asylum and migration pact do not serve Ireland’s interests. Ireland’s sovereignty cannot be impeded in the development of a fair, efficient and enforced system and this can only be done by exercising our opt-out from a majority of the pact’s proposals. The Government must retain the capacity to make its own decisions regarding key aspects of the asylum system. This includes faster processing of applicants, compiling its own list of safe countries so those who are not genuine asylum seekers can be returned to their safe country of origin. The Government’s approach is completely wrong. We will oppose opting into the measures that are unhelpful, give power to the EU and that will tie the hands of future governments. Because the Government has failed to implement its own rules, the asylum system is completely overwhelmed with bottlenecks at every level. Sinn Féin will vote "No" to the Government’s proposal to opt Ireland fully into the EU migration pact because we must retain our sovereignty over these matters if we are to have an immigration system that is fair, efficient and enforced.

The reactionary approach by the Government, without a plan, has absolutely failed. It has absolutely failed to engage meaningfully with local communities, which has resulted in a shambolic system and an shambolic approach that has given rise to unrest within communities where trust has broken down. It has alienated communities right across the State. They have been bounced from one crisis to another, leaving a trail of civil disharmony in the Government's wake. There has been no consistency in its approach. There has been no effort whatsoever to work with local communities or, indeed, public representatives in those communities.

Some, including myself, found ourselves actively lied to by the Department There was deceit about Government moves regarding IPAS accommodation in Newtownmountkennedy in my constituency of Wicklow where myself and the community were lied to about the true intentions for the use of River Lodge House at Trudder. The Government’s inexplicable mismanagement undermined public representatives in the area contributing to the chaos that has ensue, which has been replicated in communities across the State. Communities have been treated to meaningless promises by the Government, including the previous Taoiseach who promised that funding for local services would be made available to the ten areas hosting the most refugees. Notwithstanding the fact the Government has yet to deliver on this, this illustrates its failure to understand the pressure that communities across the State face because of its abandonment of its social responsibilities. The reality for people in local communities who are not thugs, far right or racists is that successive Governments have overseen the decline of their local services and amenities. They have genuine concerns. Under the current system, it takes years to process applications. The average processing time is currently more than 12 months with many applications taking three to four years. At the end, there is zero enforcement. Even when a decision is made to refuse an application, it is not enforced. Only 80 deportation orders were enforced in 2023 out of 734 that were signed. A total of 29,283 international protection applicants have claimed asylum in this State. More than 10,800 of them have been left waiting for a decision for 16 months or longer. That is 37% of applications. That is why there are bottlenecks in the system.

We need a fair, efficient and enforced asylum system to be put in place immediately. By ceding our sovereignty to the EU, we are undermining our own capacity to deal effectively with this issue. That is why Sinn Féin will vote against the migration pact, and we call on the Government to do so too.

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