Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to contribute to this afternoon's debate. I thank the spokespersons on European affairs and the other Deputies who have spoken already. It is fair to say the speeches we have heard have reflected the unanimous support in this country for the humanitarian approach that has traditionally been taken by Ireland over many decades and have acknowledged that many people from this nation have been forced to leave these shores in the past because of poverty, war and conflict. It is timely and important, particularly in this interregnum period, that the Dáil is given an opportunity to engage in a debate on this matter. It is not one of the most important issues facing Europe at this time; it is the single most important pressing and difficult issue for the European Union.

In light of some of the remarks we have heard during this debate, it is important to make the point that the EU is a family of member states that are being affected in many different ways by this crisis and have very significant differences in their resources and therefore their capacity to respond to the crisis. Equally, it is important to say that the EU-Turkey deal was not negotiated by the institutions of the EU. It was negotiated at Council level by the Governments and Ministers of the member states. The varying degrees of difficulty being experienced by member states were taken into account. Of course the institutions are now tasked with delivering on the decisions that have been made. While there are many pressing issues for the EU, including the Greek economy, Brexit and the Union's relations with Russia, this issue is the main topic of discussion at many of our Council formations, including the Justice and Home Affairs Council, at which this country is represented by the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald. We are represented at the Foreign Affairs Council by the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and in its defence configuration by the Minister, Deputy Coveney. This matter has also been considered at ECOFIN and at meetings of European affairs ministers which I have attended. Most importantly, it has been debated at European Council level.

The agreement with Turkey was a difficult one to reach. European nations have quite rightly been accused of moving too slowly with respect to this crisis. That is undoubtedly a fact. It is accepted by all member states. When we look at the deal with Turkey, it is important to acknowledge that many countries outside the EU have standards that differ from this country's standards with respect to certain freedoms and humanitarian issues. Turkey is currently hosting almost 3 million people, many of whom are trying to make their way to the EU. The primary objective of the agreement that was reached with Turkey recently was to reduce the number of people who are coming to Europe using people-smugglers. Last year, we saw terrible pictures of a young boy on a beach who had drowned while being smuggled. The early indications following the agreement of this imperfect deal are that the number of arrivals on the Greek islands has fallen to approximately 130 per day from a previous level of 1,400 per day. The people who travelled in such numbers before the deal was reached were being smuggled and many of them were drowning. It has correctly been pointed out that we need to have safe and legal routes into the EU for people who are fleeing the terrible conflicts that have been mentioned in Syria and other countries. That is the objective of the agreement that has been reached with Turkey.

Deputy Niall Collins spoke about the legality of this deal. The legality of this arrangement was discussed in the run-up to and during the most European Council meeting, at which agreement on the EU-Turkey deal was reached. It has been accepted by the UNHCR that this deal complies with international humanitarian law. It is crucial to remember that the purpose of the deal is to support Turkey as it seeks to use its very limited resources to deal with the arrival of so many people. The AAA-PBP spokesperson very inaccurately said earlier that €6 billion is being given to Turkey, which, as she put it, is a country with questions that need to be answered. Some €3 billion has been committed to support the migrants who are in Turkey. The disbursement of that money is conditional on ensuring it is spent on helping the families and the human beings who are in Turkey. There is an agreement that an additional €3 billion can be provided if and when that money properly finds its way to support health and education needs and to provide food and other basic supplies.

As is evident from the general tone of the contributions to the debate, nobody in this House is happy with the pace of the resettlement and relocation processes to date. Ireland voluntarily agreed to take in 4,000 people, which is reflective of the will of the people. The number coming to our shores is low. With the 11 people who arrived in recent days, 263 people have been resettled here and it is expected that a total of 520 will be resettled by the end of the year. The relocation programme deals with people from one European Union member state who wish to relocate to another.

As Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, I believe some of the references to one country in particular and its imperial history were outrageous. Irish people have an enormous generosity of spirit and want to help others from around the world who, as victims of conflict, are forced to travel to Europe. They are not alone in their compassion. Germany, having taken in 1 million people, has shown enormous compassion. The German people, too, have shown an enormous generosity of spirit in allowing others to come to their country to have a new future.

It is important in the context of this debate that we empathise with other EU member states in what they are seeking to achieve and the pressures they are under. We will continue to ensure EU law and humanitarian obligations are at the heart of any European Union decision, but it must be acknowledged that the crisis is putting huge pressure on many of the small Balkan countries and some of the larger member states. The European Union project is under significant pressure because of this migrant crisis. Members can be assured that the Government will continue to play its part in this regard. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs has always engaged significantly on EU matters. It is unfortunate, given the interregnum, that it has not had an opportunity to meet, but it is for that reason this opportunity is welcome.

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