Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I was a Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs a few years ago and this was debated for that entire period. I saw it go through the different stages and processes. The fact that we helped to develop this does not stop with the end of a Government. It does not change the fact that all the proposals benefit Ireland and that we engaged because they will be positive for Ireland. They have to be looked at in the round and as a whole. If you take them apart, and if we do not have the fast processing, we would potentially not have access to a solidarity mechanism, funds or a crisis system. Why would you not have a uniform system of reception centres whereby no matter who is seeking protection, they will get the same response in every country?

If the Deputy can tell me what is negative about any of the other measures we are talking about, I can tease through them. My view as Minister and that of the Minister before me is that all these measures are beneficial. Throughout eight years, they have been debated, engaged upon and brought back and forth. Our representatives in the European Parliament have discussed them and engaged on them. People who were democratically elected, such as our taoisigh, have gone to European Council meetings and Ministers, including myself, who were democratically elected have gone to Europe to negotiate and discuss them. It is not the case that the Government decided at the last minute to just opt into seven proposals without teasing them through. We have been teasing through them for eight years and I have yet to hear anyone in the committee tell me what is negative about any of the measures we are proposing to opt into. I see them as working collectively. It is about us working together to respond to one of the biggest global challenges we face at the moment. By being selective we would not be working together and would potentially make it more difficult for ourselves as a country.