Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputy Crowe.

At the outset, I congratulate and praise the work of the crew of the LE Samuel Beckettwhich rescued 430 refugees who were in trouble in the Mediterranean Sea this weekend. This is the third Irish vessel to carry out search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and, collectively, they have rescued 7,639 people. The brave crews of these ships are a great credit to the Irish people.

I am disappointed the Taoiseach has not taken the opportunity to tell the Dáil whether the rescue operation will continue beyond December. A row has erupted over allowances to be paid to Naval Service personnel in the Mediterranean. Gerry Rooney of PDFORRA has said members of the Naval Service who volunteered for this dangerous mission feel they have been duped and are being ignored given the refusal to pay them the same rate as troops involved in UN peace missions on land. I am sure the Taoiseach agrees these Naval Service personnel carry out their duties to a very high standard and to international acclaim and are entitled to be properly paid for their crucially important work.

The EU’s collective response to the refugee crisis, the most serious refugee crisis since the Second World War, has been weak and has exposed major rifts between member states. While Germany and Sweden’s response has been laudable, countries such as Hungary are criminalising refugees and others are doing the bare minimum. My colleague and Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, has confirmed that the first Syrians selected under a resettlement scheme will arrive in the North before December. While the scheme will begin with a modest number, more will arrive in the future on a phased basis and I welcome this initial and progressive step. Ní fhaca muid a leithéid de seo riamh agus tá daoine ag fulaingt go géar. Caithfimid níos mó a dhéanamh ná mar atáimid á dhéanamh anois. I hope the Taoiseach will argue for a humane and moral approach to the refugee crisis at the European Council meeting and that he will stand up to the European governments which are seeking to criminalise refugees.

The European Council meeting will also focus on the negotiations surrounding the British in-out referendum on the EU. Sinn Féin believes a British withdrawal from the EU would represent a major political and economic challenge for the island of Ireland. Such a development could hinder the process of democratic transformation in the North. A Brexit could lead to the prospect of a reinforced partition, with the potential for customs checkpoints, trading tariffs and adverse knock-on effects for all-island economic activity and co-operation on a cross-Border basis. Citizens in the North could also see the loss of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy payments. They could also suffer the loss of EU Structural Funds which have been central to small and medium enterprise development, community regeneration and government programmes. As well as the dreadful economic, social and political implications, the proposed referendum is profoundly undemocratic. The referendum, as it is planned, will allow the views of English voters to dictate the future relationship of the North - and therefore Ireland as a whole - with the EU. I look to the Taoiseach to raise these concerns at the European Council meeting and inform other European leaders about how serious and damaging a Brexit would be for this island.

Last week, while in New York, I met the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, whom I congratulated on his very successful election campaign. I briefed him on the current political situation in Ireland and he outlined the next challenges facing the people of Greece. Much of our conversation focused on the two big issues in Europe, namely, debt and refugees. The geographic location of Greece has meant it has had to contend with a major influx of refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in the Middle East. Dealing with the issue in the midst of major economic and financial difficulties has clearly tested the Greek state and the Greek people who have shown great generosity and resilience.

While international attention has shifted to Syria and the refugee crisis, the need for debt relief has not gone away. There was a Eurogroup meeting last Monday, and Greece hopes to open negotiations on debt relief by the end of the year. The Taoiseach's position and that of his Minister for Finance of no debt relief but crippling austerity for Greece is impossible to justify on economic grounds. It is a cynical political position aimed at covering for the Taoiseach's own failure to achieve or even request debt relief for the citizens of this State. Everyone knows Greece cannot repay its debt. Failing to recognise it merely stores up an even more serious crisis down the road. If the Taoiseach's interests stretch beyond his electoral fortunes, he must, in discussion with his EU counterparts, support the IMF's call for significant debt relief for Greece and for Ireland. An ndéanfaidh an Taoiseach seo?

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