Ms Marissa Ryan:

That is fine, the Senator can read the transcript. Essentially, she had asked whether it was likely that the outcomes of the UN summit would improve the EU's performance in response to migration. It is unlikely; the negotiations finish tomorrow. As I mentioned previously, at present we have a text that falls below existing standards and no agreement across the EU on whether it will even agree, beyond a political declaration, any comprehensive measures for responsibility-sharing that are tangible. The real worry is that states can now go ahead and assert that pretty much any measure, such as those taken in Australia, represents responsibility-sharing but actually they are fundamentally breaching human rights. In addition, as this summit was called before the spike in migration really took off in Europe, the performance on migration of some parts of the regional bloc, such as the Visegrad Group, was not really anticipated. A more splintered and fractured EU has since come together to try to negotiate a deal alongside other political environment issues such as Brexit and so on. I believe everyone is aware that one thing for which Theresa May, MP, was famous was those disgraceful vans that were driven around ethnically diverse areas telling people to just go home. It was not anticipated that such issues would have an impact on EU co-ordination in advance of the summit but they subsequently have been brought to bear. Oxfam does not necessarily see the summit as something positive in the improvement of protection in the future.

As for what Ireland can do in terms of best practice, there also is a good case from Brazil about a humanitarian admissions programme. Ireland has already initiated one called the Syrian humanitarian admission programme, which was specific to Syrians. It allows people from the Syrian community who are settled and have status already in Ireland to bring in family members. They are obliged to support them themselves and so on but it was a good step. A number of domestic agencies, including Nasc, the Irish Refugee Council and so on, are now lobbying for an extension of that to be simply a humanitarian admissions programme. This is because, as we have mentioned, more than half of all people who are refugees come from three countries, namely, Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria, and this would take into account the protection needs of people who are stranded from outside of Syria. This is a measure that could be useful and positive in the future for the Department of Justice and Equality, with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

On the subject of FRONTEX mark 2, Oxfam in Ireland does not cover that specifically, our Oxfam Brussels office does so. I was engaged with it recently on concerns that had been touted about where the EU is now drawing the border. It looks as though it is now in the middle of the Sahel, because there were discussions on the remit of the agency allowing the potential for what is essentially a security force to intercept boats and bring them back to the countries of origin. This would mean the right to seek asylum and the right to fair process would be eradicated absolutely because there is no possibility that one can have a fair and efficient asylum procedure if one is being intercepted by an EU patrol and brought back to Libya or Eritrea. My understanding is the European Parliament intervened on this specific clause and is engaged in trying to negotiate a sensible position on that but I share Ms Boylan's concerns.

Six months ago, the Department of Justice and Equality released a press statement about the refugee protection programme at the end of which was a footnote stating that Ireland, while not a FRONTEX member, was considering contributing more border security personnel. I would encourage the committee to look at that as well in the context of the oversight of Ireland's international response.

I will return to something Deputy Crowe said. As an agency that works on economic inequality in Europe as well - and which campaigns on that in Ireland and elsewhere - Oxfam is acutely aware of the discussions on doorsteps with those who ask how can we be expected to bring in large numbers of refugees and look after them when there are terrible problems at home, such as the homelessness and housing crises. However, Ireland is the fourth richest EU member state. The impacts of austerity need to be negotiated with a whole-of-government and more comprehensive approach. Ireland has the ability to support and resettle refugees, as we have demonstrated in the past in response to many different humanitarian disasters. It is a question of political will and oversight. Organisations such as Oxfam that look at issues such as tax justice - which is fundamental to bringing in increased revenue and, therefore, provides the ability for both developing countries and countries such as Ireland to hold multinationals to account for paying the correct amount of corporate tax and have a better ability to respond to basic needs of both our own population and populations at risk overseas - are willing to work with the committee around that kind of discourse.