Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important to state that what Ireland is doing in the Mediterranean forms part of a collective effort. The UK and Germany are also there and Italy is heavily involved in co-ordinating search and rescue operations, processing asylum applications and looking after people's needs, which are complex. Large numbers are involved. This is a major issue and will not go away any time soon, so there needs to be a significant focus in the EU on trying to assist in preventing the causes of mass migration in north Africa. There are multiple causes and, unfortunately, there is more conflict in much of the world now than there has been for a long time.

Responsibility for making decisions on numbers lies with the Minister for Justice and Equality. She is considering this matter and I have discussed it with her. We have made clear that Ireland will, and wants to, do its fair share, but we must also recognise the size of our country in terms of what we can accommodate. What is not acceptable is allowing countries like Malta, Italy and, increasingly, Greece to deal with the problems in the Mediterranean on their own. So, I-----

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