Dáil debates

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Topical Issue Debate

Refugee Numbers

1:45 pm

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

This is a major issue which is convulsing Europe, and I am shocked that there are only two of us in here who have raised this today. It is the third time we have had this question as a Topical Issue. The dire situation that hundreds of thousands, and indeed millions, of people around the globe are being placed in is reprehensible. We know that when Mare Nostrum was cancelled, the Irish Government representatives sat in EU meetings and stayed schtum. They were ordered, if they had to say anything, to talk about the handful of refugees we had already agreed to take.

Europe undoubtedly now has a migrant crisis, but that is precisely because migrants have a European crisis, a crisis caused by intervention and regime change attempts in their regions orchestrated and led by the US military. Ireland, as Deputy Wallace says, is culpable and has a role in that. We discussed this morning with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the list of permissions given to US aircraft and those destined for Saudi Arabia with munitions on board that could be cluster bombs. Ireland spearheaded a campaign against such activity years ago, but we could be allowing such weaponry to transit through Shannon Airport.

We need to do more. Whether it is 400, 600, 4,000 or 6,000 refugees who are welcomed here, I welcome them. I do not believe it has any connection to our homelessness situation. It will not stop any homeless person from getting a house. The only way homeless people will be housed is if we build more social housing. I would like the Minister, as spokesperson on our behalf, to welcome greater numbers than we have indicated, not least because of our culpability. I have no problem myself with taking people into my home, as thousands of other Irish people have. It is just not good enough. We are culpable and we need to do a lot more.

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