Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

We must stand back and consider the horrendous circumstances that force individuals and families to make the treacherous journey to try to seek a better life in Europe. It does not bear thinking about. People give up their life savings and essentially entrust their children to pirates who put them on a ship that they know has a good chance of not making it to the other side. It is beyond belief.

In that context, I am very glad the Government is resettling people but I am sorry more people are not being resettled. I hope more from the next batch will be resettled. However, the key issue here is not about resettling refugees. It should be about preventing them from being turned into refugees in the first place. People are being driven from their own countries where their families are and in which they speak their own language. They are left with no future where they should be living, surrounded by the people and life circumstances that they know best. Does the Minister of State believe they really want to come here? Their migration is because of economic pillaging or military devastation. I echo the point that we are complicit in this by allowing Shannon Airport to be part of this process. There is no doubt in my mind that the US military that have transited through Shannon Airport and engaged in activities such as those in Syria and Libya are partly the reason so many people are now ending up in this devastating situation.

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