Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her presentation. I wish her well for the coming months. It has been a busy, but successful, period for her.

Regarding Libyan refugees, I am a member of the Council of Europe, as are one or two other committee members. Last week, I attended a meeting of the Council's migration committee. A representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, made a presentation on the issue. The 1.3 million Libyan refugees are primarily located in Jordan, Turkey and Greece, countries that are themselves in development. Greece is facing its own difficulties. We should recognise the fact that, since the refugees' homes are gone, there is no basis for them to return. The Minister of State mentioned that the UN was to the fore in providing humanitarian assistance, but the Libyan refugees need to be supported. Is Europe discussing how to integrate them? The US has done some work in this regard. The nettle needs to be grasped.