Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I remember going to Italy at the time. The general answer in this country was that everybody who comes here is properly vetted and we had nothing to worry about. Then I saw the process up close where people arrived without documentation. Whether they destroyed it or it was taken from them is irrelevant. They had no documentation so they were put through a process. The process was supposed to involve identifying who they were. However, I could declare myself to be John Murphy from Tuam or Michael Moriarty from somewhere else. I could give myself any name I wanted. The police check then went to the area I claimed to have been from asking whether they were aware of John Murphy. On being told the name John Murphy had never come to the police's attention and he was a bona fide person, I immediately would have got myself a new identity. Whether I wanted it for criminal reasons or otherwise is irrelevant.

The key issue here is that, for example, a man of my age in that process could bring three or four young women with him and claim they were his daughters. They would be processed in the same way the man would be processed. I am not aware of any way we establish the bona fides of parenthood. What I am looking at here is the possibility of trafficking not just the young ladies in question but also the pimp who is going to manage them once they arrive into European countries. It is a matter of grave concern. Ms Ward hit the nail on the head. The fact we cannot answer the question is more serious than the fact the question exists.

The other issue is I do not know if there has been a proper analysis of the Irish attitude to those who are so unfortunate that they find themselves having to board a boat somewhere to get to whatever country in Europe. There is some anecdotal evidence that when the unfortunate migrants arrive in one of our rural counties, they wonder how they ended up there when they had expected to go to London or somewhere else. I find it hard to rationalise the Irish attitude to the way the Irish were treated when they emigrated on the one hand and, on the other hand, the way we treat those who have migrated into our country. Has any survey of Irish attitudes been carried out? The anecdotal evidence is we are quite a cruel and uncaring people in some places. I am not saying all places, but some places. It is time we faced up to that and were honest with ourselves as to exactly how we treat those who are less fortunate than us. I am interested to hear Dr. Muldoon's views on that.