Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister accepts that the number of deaths has decreased since Operation Mare Nostrum was re-instated. It is a search and rescue operation as opposed to an emphasis on border control, which characterised Operation Triton. Does the Minister therefore agree that the cancellation of Operation Mare Nostrum was likely responsible for the deaths of migrants attempting to enter the European Union? The reported advice to the Minister that the migrant crisis had little direct impact on Ireland and no intervention was anticipated at the meeting is quite incredible. Should the Irish Government not have intervened against the calls of others, including, reportedly, Britain, for the cancellation of Operation Mare Nostrum to say we should not have a fortress-Europe policy where this is treated as a defence issue, but should adopt instead a humanitarian approach to saving people's lives? What position did Ireland take in the discussions that took place around the question of the cancellation of Operation Mare Nostrum?

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