Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Immigration is causing a breakdown in social cohesion in Irish society and it is happening on the Minister's watch. In the view of the public, and in the experience of service providers in local communities, there is simply no co-ordination of services and no proper communication, as has been highlighted again and again. The Government is treating communities like fools and they have lost trust in it. There is no meaningful engagement with local communities and no additional support to schools or local health clinics. I was contacted by a number of school principals last week, who feel genuinely overwhelmed by the lack of supports in their schools. There is no additional support for trauma therapy, SNAs or speech and language supports. There is absolutely nothing and teachers and principals are feeling overwhelmed. Because of the Government's failure to sit down and talk with communities about their concerns and worries, they do not believe what the Government is saying.

They do not believe what they hear from the Government, Dublin City Council and local authorities around the country and why would they? The international protection system has never worked and we have been saying this for years. The Government approach has been shambolic from the start. Decisions have taken way too long. We need an efficient, compassionate and enforced immigration system just like Canada or Australia. We need to have effective control over our borders. People are frustrated when they hear stories of people arriving on flights with no passports. They have no faith in the Government's process for dealing with these cases. People are extremely frustrated because there is a housing crisis. They recognise the role of migrant workers every time they visit a hospital or when they have a dental appointment. They understand the need to have an effective immigration system but they do not see one in place. All they see is billions of euro being spent on hotels and filling the pockets of profiteers, some of whom are Members of this House.

On top of this, our local communities are being sucked dry by the cost of housing, rent, the worsening health system, mortgages, childcare and the cost of living; it just does not add up. The longer the Government parties are in office, the worse it is for communities in Dublin's inner city, the worse it gets for communities such as Ringsend, Pearse Street, City Quay, Kevin Street and all the inner-city communities. The immigration system is broken and vulnerable communities have to pick up the pieces. The responsibility is no one else's but Government's.

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