Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his questions. Obviously, the situation around the table at the European Council meeting was one of great seriousness in respect of what has been happening here in recent years. When we saw the first evidence of people losing their lives because of illegal trafficking across the Mediterranean, the efforts made by Italy in particular under the Mare Nostrum programme to save so many people spoke for itself about the flight from Libya and other countries in Africa and from Syria.

I accept the Deputy's commendation of the Defence Forces. Three of our naval vessels have rescued several thousand people from the waters of the Mediterranean. I have often made the point that this is part of our own history, having lost thousands to the Atlantic off Grosse Île and Ellis Island. While Ireland is not part of the protocol, I welcomed the Government decision that we should send a Naval Service vessel to assist in this humanitarian relief work. The personnel on those vessels have performed heroically and professionally in the course of their duties.

It is the first time in many years that Iran has been involved in investigating the possibility of bringing some conclusion to the war in Syria. As has been pointed out on many occasions by the Carter Foundation in America, unless Russia and Iran are involved in whatever solution can be brokered, this will not end. With more than 1 million people having been assimilated into a small country in south Lebanon, which the Ceann Comhairle visited, more than 1.25 million in a major camp in Jordan and more than 2 million in Turkey, it speaks for itself of the extent of the flight from Syria.

I have spoken to the Prime Ministers of some of the smaller Balkan countries who pointed out that 150,000 people have passed through their borders in a very short period of time. Given that they are supposed to be part of the Dublin Convention and the Schengen Agreement, the resources available to many of the smaller countries just do not stand up. It is an horrendous problem that the European Union has not been able to address successfully and practically and it has taken a long time to try to catch up. That is why these so-called "hot-spots" for registration and assessment of people who are coming into Europe are of great importance.

If a similar situation were to apply in Ireland where exceptional numbers of people came here for that purpose, the Deputy can imagine the kind of difficulty it would cause here. Obviously, others are now stretched to the limit in terms of the incessant flow of people wanting to come to the European Union. The majority of those in the camps would like to return to their own countries but that will not happen given the continuing war there.

As I said in my response, all the meetings since the early part of the summer have been taken up with migration issues and reports from the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Mogherini, in regard to the situation in Syria and Libya and the very disturbing reports about the horrendous conditions in a number of camps in the Horn of Africa.

The issue of youth unemployment was not addressed directly but it is a follow-on from other meetings that have been held. I am glad to say that the employment figure is improving in a number of countries, including youth employment. The rate of unemployment is still too high, in particular among young people. In our country, we need a changing analysis at all times as to the circumstances ahead where opportunities, training, apprenticeships, upskilling and appropriate courses for young people might be concerned. That is why the Minister of State, Deputy English, has introduced, through the new apprenticeship council, new areas for apprenticeships, new methods of connecting with business and new communications systems for young people in secondary schools to advise of the ever-changing opportunities that exist in the digital world, the IT world or in any other area.

I have dealt with the question of talking to other Prime Ministers. I dealt with the question from Deputy Pearse Doherty about the crisis in the eurozone. I say to Deputy Gerry Adams that I am sorry, as I took his name in vain. I said he was on his way to America. I withdraw that remark. I did not know that he was around.

It is true to say the troika was here when the Government was appointed in 2011, but throughout that period and in 2012 there was a crisis of confidence in the eurozone; this country was blocked from entering capital markets-----

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