Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their support. I note the unanimous support for the decisions the Government has taken in respect of the Irish refugee protection programme. I also thank Deputies for their principled support for the relocation of 4,000 refugees to Ireland over the next two years in line with our opt-in at recent Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings.

There were some thoughtful contributions on the range of issues that arise when one considers this humanitarian crisis and how it must be addressed. I refer Members to the European action programme on migration, which is a comprehensive range of initiatives. We are focusing today on the relocation but examination of the action programme on migration, which has been agreed by all member states, shows that it recognises the points a number of Deputies have made regarding the need to deal with the root causes of the migration crisis, the need to work with the countries of origin, the need to work with Turkey and the African states and the broader global and international issues relevant to the conflict zones which have led to the 30 million refugees in the world, as mentioned by Deputy Wallace. Very serious national and international challenges must be dealt with. I agree that Ireland can play a leadership role both at European and world level. We have a very good track record of interventions and we have experience of ending conflict. We intend to take as much of a lead role as possible in the coming months to deal effectively with this humanitarian crisis.

Clearly, the conflict situation and the threat posed by ISIS, for example, are very real. I welcome the solidarity in Europe in response to that threat. Solidarity is necessary at world level to deal with the threat posed by ISIS, because it is so severe. Thousands of young people from Europe are travelling to become foreign fighters. When they return they pose real threats. The radicalisation we see online must also be dealt with. This is all part of the current picture and is worthy of a debate in its own right. In fact, I recently met with the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister to discuss both migration and the terrorism issue. It is a real threat. Bulgaria has 2 million people on its borders who could potentially enter the country. They are refugees because of the Middle East crisis and the other areas of conflict we have been discussing. These are challenging global issues, and the global response to date has not been good enough. There must be more discussion at global level, be it between the Americans and Russians or at UN level. Certainly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the Taoiseach will be working on that in the weeks and months ahead.

To return to the practical decisions regarding the refugees who will arrive here, we have set up the task force and there are a number of sub-committees dealing with the different areas that require action, such as identifying accommodation and examining the integration aspects for the children and families. Obviously, the Department of Education and Skills has a role in that regard. The Department of Health is involved in respect of the varying health needs, as the refugees will require a health assessment when they arrive and appropriate supports and help. I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn for his suggestions on the various initiatives that should be undertaken. We are working on a comprehensive plan and will publish the detail as soon as possible. At this point, we have held the first meeting of the task force and everybody has been allocated their various jobs. We will meet again shortly to review progress and to prepare for the first groups of refugees to arrive.

We want the accommodation to be of the highest standard possible and we want the centres to be orientation centres for the Syrians. We will involve the Syrians who are already here, who have formed a support group. The big criticism of direct provision has been the length of time people have stayed in that system. That is the key criticism. I agree that improvements could have been made to the accommodation over the years, but the standard of accommodation, food and shelter should be seen in the context of the crisis of 10,000 asylum seekers arriving. Direct provision dealt with that crisis but, of course, the number of appeals and the delays are a big problem. That will be dealt with shortly. Legislation will be introduced this month to ensure that the process can be completed in a speedier way. That will make a key difference to the situation.

However, we are proceeding with the plans. Obviously, there will be a budget, and the budgets that are required will be part of the budgetary discussions. I accept the point that it is not a question of either-or. We must respond to the refugee crisis and we are doing that. The Government has taken a principled and humanitarian decision. I believe it was the right decision. Equally, however, there are challenges for our citizens which we must continue to meet. If the economy was not improving as it is at present, we would not have the money to invest in the range of services that are required both for our citizens and for the refugees who are arriving in this country.

I again thank the Deputies for their support for the motion.

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