Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I draw the Minister of State's attention to the following excerpt from the Bill:

The primary purpose of the Bank is to help in solving the social problems with which European countries are or may be faced as a result of the presence of refugees, displaced persons or migrants consequent upon movements of refugees ... The investment projects ... The Bank may also contribute to the realisation of investment projects approved by a Member of the Bank which enable jobs to be created in disadvantaged regions, people in low income groups to be housed or social infrastructure to be created.

The point I am making is that following the referendum earlier in the year, we now have the phenomenon of Irish citizen children being deported from time to time by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to some of the poorest countries in Europe. As major contributors to the bank, will the Minister of State use his offices to try to assist some of the children who were deported, together with their migrant parents who applied unsuccessfully for refugee status in this country? It is a straightforward question and it is an area in which the Government ought to have a policy. Deporting Irish citizens from the country is a unique phenomenon in the history of Ireland. The Minister of State will be aware that some of these children are returning to very poor circumstances. As a humanitarian gesture, will he undertake to use the Government's contribution to the Council of Europe Development Bank to assist some of these Irish citizen children who are now back in very poor parts of eastern Europe? The Minister of State must be aware of this fact because his colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, never stops boasting about the expulsion of children.

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