Ms Réiseal Ní Chéilleachair:

Trócaire has been working on its response to the EU-Turkey deal for a number of months. There was a debate in the Dáil on it recently and there is general concern that the deal is not in support of human rights and the protection of refugees. That needs to be followed up.

We have recently put together an analysis of the migration partnership framework and our greatest concern is that security and conditionality are being given greater consideration than protection needs and people's human rights. It includes positive and negative incentives for non-EU countries to co-operate in curtailing migration and it proposes a reorientation of the EU's development co-operation towards halting migration, which goes against the whole spirit of development co-operation as this should be to the benefit of the most vulnerable and marginalised in developing countries. This is not in the interest of people who need support, assistance and protection from Europe.

I am grateful to Deputy Darragh O'Brien for submitting parliamentary questions on the issues of funding and numbers. Oxfam, Trócaire and others in the coalition of Irish and international NGOs have been calling for the 4,000 refugees to be expedited. The commitment is to do it by the end of 2017 but our call in December was for people to be brought in as soon as possible to allow them protection, to allow their children to go to school and for basic provisions to be put in place to support them.

A question was asked on unaccompanied minors. In Greece and Serbia children, particularly young boys, have been moving alone for many months. The great fear is of recruitment and the only way to protect a child from being recruited is to have him sent away. The other burning issue for families is education and Syrian children are losing out by being out of school for three or four years at a time, years which parents fear they will never get back. If they are not put into accelerated education when they come to other countries how will they catch up? How will they be able to learn and make a contribution to society?