Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas le hOonagh McPhillips agus le chuile dhuine atá anseo inniu. I want to frame this conversation very clearly. There are so many people who come into our country and contribute immensely, whether in our hospitals, in our tech companies, right across our society, and in our nursing homes. People make massive contributions. They come into this country via a structured system, whether it is the work permit system or a visa system, and they contribute immensely. This country would be lost without them. Many of them are in my constituency and I am friends with them. I know the value of the work they do. However, without doubt, over the past few years the Irish people have lost their confidence in the State's ability to handle our asylum processing system. Why did the numbers of asylum seekers in Ireland rise from approximately 3,000 per year in 2021 and 2022 to more than 12,000 to 15,000 in the following years?