Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for missing the first session. I was at a meeting with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed.

I welcome the representatives from MSF and I thank them for outlining the experiences the organisation is undergoing with refugees in the Mediterranean. I compliment MSF on the tremendous work it is doing in this regard. What is happening there is horrendous. In 2016, there were 5,000 deaths of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean and already this year there have been 2,700. We must do something to tackle this.

What is the average age of migrants trying to reach Europe? More importantly, how do we stop it? This cannot continue. Does MSF feel enough is being done? What more can be done in these various countries? The West has much to answer for what it did in Libya. It deposed the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and then ran away leaving a lawless state behind. We did not have an issue with this when Gaddafi was in power. I do not agree with what he did, but he exercised some sort of control.

These are human beings we are dealing with. They are the same as ourselves and breathe the same air we breathe. Some of them are genuine migrants trying to get away from war. Will MSF outline from what countries most migrants are coming and why? Some of them are financial migrants coming to better themselves and to travel. I was in Berlin recently and I saw many of them begging. I walked up Shop Street in Galway quite late one night recently and noted that the majority of those sleeping rough on the street were non-Irish. This shows that they are getting to the cities and that many of them are, unfortunately, sleeping rough.

Who are the people providing the service to bring migrants across the Mediterranean? What are they charging? Why have they not been taken out? Money has been given to the Libyan Government to stop this activity at source. I presume these people are on the take from these guys. I am sure they are paid on the double by the European Union to stop it and from the other crowd to let the migrants come across.

I compliment our Naval Service on the tremendous work it has done in the Mediterranean. I have spoken to several sailors who were traumatised by their experiences there. Some will need counselling. They pull people on board who can die in their arms. I compliment Dr. Conor Kenny on the tremendous work he has done, as well as others involved. Could we do more? What are other EU countries doing to support MSF in its work? Are some doing more than others? Could some others do more? We have to stop this at source. I do not know how we do that but I compliment MSF on what it has done.