Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Most people want to help and to do the right thing for people who are fleeing war and violence. They also want a system that is fair and sustainable. Most people want a compassionate approach from the Government but also want common sense. The Minister's system has so far been a common sense-free zone. That is the truth.

We have a Government whose policy has to date significantly damaged the goodwill of the people. The first mistake the Government made was to refuse to listen to the people. The Minister has got to start listening to people around the country. The Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman and McEntee, have in many ways ignored many communities around the country which wanted to have an input into the process that is happening in their own areas. Not talking to people has had the effect of creating a vacuum of information. That is an ideal location, a petri dish if you like, for rumours about the system to be created.

Government Ministers must remember who is employing them. They are employed by the people. They are the servants of the people. The fact that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has not met one community around the country on this issue is incredible. People want a fair asylum process that effectively and efficiently identifies and differentiates between those who need help and those who do not. The Government's policy to date has been extremely lax. Deportation orders are enforced at a rate of 15% and the rest are voluntary. When I ask parliamentary questions the Minister admits she has no way of confirming whether a person has left the country or not. That is an incredible situation. Many people are coming into the country without proper documentation. There were 3,500 in Dublin Airport alone last year. We need a penalty for such an individual who comes into the country. That must happen to deter people from coming into the country and damaging or losing their documents. Some 86% of the people who came in last year registered at the International Protection Office, IPO, instead of at the ports. I asked the Minister by way of a parliamentary question if she knows the routes they use to come into the country, she said she does not and they are not asked that question.

See this speech in context