James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. McCarthy has spoken about being conscious of, and trying to avoid, the interruption on other sectors. I spoke at the start about public cohesion and buy-in, which is essential for this to work. The consequences of it not working are very serous for the political system and our democracy. The people of this country have been extraordinarily generous and have worked diligently in many cases to assist. That has happened at a local authority level. Much work has been done within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

I am familiar with Youghal in my local area and will use it as an example. The town has lost over 70% of the available tourist bed capacity in its local hotels. The town has been described by the Government for years as being entirely reliant on the tourist industry. Tourism is considered the future of the town. In locations such as Youghal and other rural, coastal towns in Ireland, hotels have been not only given contracts but purchased by direct provision centre operators. Does Mr. McCarthy not see the possibility of that not ending well in respect of public support? Quite frankly, given the direction of travel over the coming months, I do not understand how we will be able to manage this.