Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The principal roles of the agency will be monitoring. The monitoring will cover the operational and technical application of all aspects of the common European asylum system. Frontex is obviously a border agency whereas this will monitor the common European asylum system. They are not directly linked but, again, when I go to justice and home affairs meetings there tends to be a sharing of information from all agencies involved in migration, border controls and the like. However, they will not be directly interacting. Some of the things the new agency will monitor will be the operation of the Dublin III regulation proceedings for granting international protection including respect for fundamental rights, which relates to Deputy Martin Kenny’s point; child protection safeguards; the needs of vulnerable applicants; the availability and capacity of staff in terms of translation and interpretation; capacity of staff to handle and manage asylum cases efficiently including appeals; reception conditions; capacity infrastructure and equipment; and financial resources for reception. The way I describe this agency in my own mind is an effort to share best practice across the common European asylum system in relation to procedures that are in place. It is very much an agency that will work as a support tool for member states. We all, as member states, will feed in expert numbers. Ours will be quite small in the overall scheme with about five to ten members. It is available to member states which can call on the agency for support. It will also do something else that I know the Deputy holds deep convictions on. It will provide monitoring and reports on how countries are doing to respond to our legal obligations and our obligations under the common European asylum system. Before Deputy Pringle had the opportunity to arrive, I mentioned that this is not in itself that new a departure for Ireland because its precursor was an asylum support office which Ireland was already in. As migration has become such a very significant issue there has been a decision to upgrade that office, as it were, to an agency and to take things that have been discretionary until now, things that generally happen such as the sharing of information, and make them requirements. All other member states have automatically opted in. I know the Deputy is not suggesting this but were we not to opt in, we would be very much on our own and therefore we would not have the ability to seek its support either.