Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will make an effort to respect your wishes, Chairman, given that we have a very heavy agenda.

I welcome Ms Nolan and I thank her for attending with her colleague, Ms Eimear Ní Bhroin. The committee has just received a copy of the submission made by Ms Nolan. It contains some interesting and up-to-date information which allows me to bypass some of the questions as they are already answered in the submission.

I am glad that this is top of the agenda. I appreciate it is not a simple issue. It is a complex issue which requires a phenomenal amount of work. Some of the images are distressing and upsetting and not only where an effort was made. I appreciate that there are some countries on the front line and under pressure, and that we are that bit further removed and I respect that. However, one also sees countries not only endeavouring to keep people out but endeavouring to hurt them, to cut them with blades and sharp shards. I believe the Commission has a role to play in giving the message that this is not acceptable. We all saw the image of a young boy lying dead on a beach, silent through death but still speaking to the world. We must continue to hold that in our hearts and to keep the image of the dead young boy alive. The Chairman spoke in terms of it requiring not just a European response. I would like to know what the Commission is doing in terms of reaching out to the world as the situation requires a global response. These are words echoed by Peter Sutherland recently in one of his helpful interventions.