Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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I thank Ms Nolan for her comprehensive comments on the response by the Commission. Before I invite members to question Ms Nolan I advise them that we need to limit contributions to two minutes. I hope I will lead by example. I will begin with my questions.

I note what Ms Nolan said about the EU being by far the most stable and wealthiest Continent in the world. I do not think this is a European crisis alone and we need to see more engagement and involvement from countries and regions such as the US, Australasia and others. What is the Commission doing to try to encourage those countries to get involved? I cite the case of the Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s when it was seen as a world issue, not just an Asian issue. What is being done to ensure that other wealthy and stable countries such as the US, Australia and others are doing their bit to help solve this humanitarian crisis?

Could Ms Nolan indicate what the Commission is doing to address the root causes of the issue in Syria in particular? What pressure is being exerted? I read in the newspaper at the weekend that if Aleppo falls to the Assad forces, some 1 million additional refugees will be created but that if it falls to the ISIS forces an additional 1 million refugees would also be created, some of whom would no doubt make their way to our shores. What is being done to tackle the root causes of migration?

I am pleased to hear about President Juncker’s proposal to establish a trust fund of €1.8 billion. Could Ms Nolan indicate where the money will come from? Will it be additional money raised across the European capitals or will it come from the existing European Union budget? I will leave it there. The next contributor is Deputy Seán Kyne and then we will have Deputy Derek Keating.