Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise my concerns regarding the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. I struggle to have confidence in the Minister and her Department. On her watch, a breakdown in British-Irish relations on the most serious matter of foreign policy is under way. The Minister was due to meet the UK Home Secretary, James Cleverly, yesterday to discuss strengthening the common travel area. The postponement of this meeting was an unmitigated disaster.

Last week, the Joint Committee on Justice discussed the many issues around migration at this time and, most notably, the fact that the Minister asserted that 80% of those coming into our asylum system are coming through Northern Ireland. This means that the most important international treaties we should consider at this time are with the British Government.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that he has no interest in doing a deal with Ireland given that Britain’s attempts to return asylum seekers to France have been unsuccessful. This means we, as a nation, can expect to get a raw deal unless we start to assert our own interests. It is costing Ireland far too much to run and to continue to mismanage a broken, overflowing and under-resourced asylum system. We need significant, bold changes because we are on the cusp of becoming a pawn in the EU versus UK stand-off on migration. We need radical intervention now.

I ask the Minister to finally put the Irish people and our wishes first. We need only look to towns such as Newtownmountkenny to see where the public stands on this matter. Listen to the people. Stop trying to appease international forces. I call on the Minister to do this and to reconsider her position.