Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin believes that Ireland can better create a fair, efficient and enforced immigration system by exercising its rights to opt out of a majority of the EU pact's proposals. Sinn Féin opposed the migration and asylum pact for very good reasons. First, it undermines human rights. At the justice committee yesterday, several human rights organisations outlined a number of provisions in this pact that would infringe on human rights.

Second, it will make no practical difference to the number of asylum seekers arriving here. War, poverty and climate change are the main drivers of immigration. If European states were serious about reducing the number of people arriving, they would stop selling arms to dictators and oppressive regimes. They would review all EU trade deals that disadvantage poor countries and keep them poor. They would tackle illicit financial flows to stop hundreds of billions of euro flowing out of poorer countries into European banks.

The pact is nothing more than a cynical political fix designed to help political parties across the Continent ahead of the European elections so they can say they are doing something. Co-operation with EU member states is important but people want decisions on asylum made by the government that they elect. The EU pact does not mean anything to communities that see more and more of their hotels become unavailable for tourist accommodation or to people who have seen the neglect of services and resources in their towns.

In my own county of Mayo there is genuine concern in Ballina about the use of a hotel for families seeking asylum - concerns about the needs of the people who will be arriving, concerns about the availability of healthcare, education and other services. We have asked time and time again for assessment of needs for those coming to towns and villages and for resources and services to be front-loaded. Communities deserve respectful communication. A total of 407 asylum seekers including Ukrainians are happily living in Ballina. I commend those in the local community and voluntary organisations who have made these families so welcome and those who continue to work for an inclusive, tolerant, compassionate society where all human rights are upheld.

Many people I speak to value the richness and diversity, and businesses welcome the extra workers. However, we need to end the practice of taking hotel beds out of communities. This cannot happen when the situation is being driven by private interests looking to make huge profits from the Government's absolute failure to do anything other than to take more and more hotels out of the system. The number of people in State-funded accommodation has been stable for seven months, but still the Government is scrambling. We still have people sleeping on the streets. People can accept the use of hotels as an emergency response but the Government is building an industry around it. We must remember that problems in health and housing existed long before the invasion of Ukraine and the increase in asylum seekers.

The challenges that are faced by this country are not insurmountable. The Government should not let them be exploited by extreme agendas. We are better than that. We can work with communities. We can embrace communities.

Earlier today the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach talked about the Ballyhaunis primary care centre and I absolutely agree with him. The Government has failed to deliver in a community like Ballyhaunis which I would say has done more than any other community in the State to include people and to embrace people from all over the world. That is an example of how this Government has failed to help communities and to help those arriving in communities.

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