Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

You could say the fact that there are people on the extreme left and right with opposing views and we are somewhere in the middle means that we may have got it somewhat right. I assure the Deputy, and I speak on my own behalf but also - I think - on behalf of the vast majority of people in this country, that we are and have always been a welcoming country. I believe our colleagues, friends and member states across the EU are very much in that space as well. However, we need to ensure we have a system that works and is fair to those who genuinely need it. Those who do not have a right to apply for asylum are creating a backlog and challenges for those who genuinely need to access protection. We need a system that protects and supports those who need to access protection but also creates legal pathways and routes. While the migration and asylum pact is specifically looking at those seeking international protection, we are developing and working it hand in hand with other measures on which the EU is very much focused, such as looking at the root causes of why people are moving and looking at how we can have greater levels of legal migration. We have full employment in this country. We need more people to come here and work so there are a number of other things we need to do and we are doing working collectively to try to address the need of people to come here.

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