Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was anxious to take the opportunity to speak about the refugee and migration crisis in the Mediterranean. I speak both as acting Minister for Defence and acting Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Both Departments have taken responsibility to play a small part in trying to respond to what is an extraordinary challenge, not only for Ireland but also for the European Union and others.

The deployment of Irish naval vessels to the Mediterranean to engage in humanitarian search and rescue tasks is an important element of Ireland's response to the migration crisis. In the period from January to the end of March almost 164,000 people crossed into Europe, nearly all of them by sea, with 92% travelling through the eastern Mediterranean route to Greece and less than 8% through the central Mediterranean route. The European Union, through Operation Sophia, and NATO are both now active in the eastern and central Mediterranean. We should continue to support Italy in a practical manner as far as possible. The Italian authorities have indicated that ongoing support for them on a bilateral basis is welcome. Following a Government decision on 12 May 2015, the Irish naval vessel LE Eithnewas deployed to the Mediterranean on 16 May to assist the Italian authorities with the migrant crisis from a humanitarian and search and rescue perspective. Two further vessels, the LE Niamhand LE Samuel Beckett, were deployed. The deployment was completed on 29 November 2015, with the LE Samuel Beckettarriving back to Ireland on 17 December. During that period over 8,500 people were rescued in the Mediterranean by Irish naval vessels.

The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean continues to be of great concern to many, not only in this House, as Members have outlined, but also throughout Ireland. On 6 April the Government approved the return of an Irish naval vessel to undertake humanitarian search and rescue tasks in the Mediterranean, subject to finalisation of operational arrangements with the Italians. I am able to announce that the LE Róisínwill depart the naval base in Haulbowline next Sunday to assist the Italian authorities in search and rescue activities in the Mediterranean. Subject to operational demands and the requirements of the mission, it is intended that there will be two further rotations, with each deployment lasting approximately 12 weeks, that is, up to the maximum of three Naval Service vessels deployed over the course of 2016 during the main migrant season, as it is now called. It is an almost dehumanising term, but it reflects the fact that in the summer months when the weather gets better, the number of refugees attempting to cross in extremely dangerous conditions increases dramatically.

The role of the Irish naval vessel which will provide a search and rescue capability and undertake humanitarian search and rescue missions will be a significant contribution in the coming months. Assistance for persons in distress at sea will be provided in accordance with the applicable provisions of international conventions governing search and rescue missions. The co-ordination of search and rescue efforts and the provision of humanitarian assistance will be achieved through close co-operation with our partners in the Italian coastguard and defence forces. The dispatch of an Irish vessel represents a tangible and valuable Irish contribution to assisting with the continuing migration crisis in the Mediterranean.

I was recently briefed on the numbers involved. On the beaches and shorelines of Libya almost 1 million people are waiting to cross the Mediterranean, through traffickers, on boats which they know have no chance of crossing but which they hope will be picked up by search and rescue teams such as ours. The extent of the tragedy is clear. The more one understands the detail of it and sees the images that have come back from our naval vessels to date, the more one realises the responsibility we all have, as politicians, to try to find broader and more ambitious political solutions to an extraordinary human tragedy. Many watch it on their television screens but find it hard to get their heads around it in terms of its scale. We are talking about the equivalent of the population of Munster in shanty towns on beaches waiting to be herded like cattle onto boats that they know will not take them across the Mediterranean but which they hope will be rescued. Children are very much part of that mix, as well as pregnant women and vulnerable individuals. It is horrific.

I have spoken to many of our Naval Service personnel and was on our naval vessels in the Mediterranean last year. It is one of the great challenges of our time for Europe. As regards the idea that we can do some deal with Turkey that will solve this problem, I doubt anybody accepts this as a solution. It is simply a medium-term alleviation measure, if one can call it that, to try to lessen the mass movement of people coming through that route. I am not comfortable, as I suspect others are not, with the idea that we essentially outsource the problem to a neighbour when Europe, as a collective, working in partnership in Turkey, must find more lasting and humane solutions to the extraordinary problem of the mass movement of refugees away from war zones and horrific situations. These are people who need support, as well as homes, given the experiences and places they have left.

There have been significant developments relating to migration which have been considered at numerous European Council meetings, leading to the agreement with Turkey on the return of some migrants. The issue is complex and continually changing and evolving. We have not yet seen what impact developments in Libya and Syria will have on the agreement with Turkey, but I suspect they will add to the problem. I am anxious that we continue to support Italy in a practical manner as far as possible. We can talk, take stands and express understandable outrage here, but what are we doing in practise to help the people concerned? That is what interests me as acting Minister for Defence. At 11 a.m. next Sunday I will be speaking to a crew which will be heading to the Mediterranean for the next nine to 12 weeks to try to make a practical difference and save people's lives. I am not saying that is the answer; it is not. It is just a small contribution to trying to help in dealing with an extraordinarily difficult and complex political problem, as well as a practical and military problem.

The success of the operations carried out in 2015 demonstrated the value of Ireland's participation in this important humanitarian mission. The country was proud of the Naval Service in a way it might not have been previously. We are all very proud of the work the Army and the Air Corps do when they are on peacekeeping missions abroad, but this was the first time we really challenged the Naval Service to do something demanding in an unknown theatre, to use a military term. We were expecting to play a role, but nobody could have predicted the rescue of between 8,500 and 9,000 people over three rotations.

This is quite extraordinary. I have previously confirmed that an international operational service medal will be awarded to those personnel involved in the missions in the Mediterranean. The qualifying criteria have been finalised by the Department and earlier today I signed the amending relevant Defence Forces regulation. This is why I am particularly pleased to say to families of those who served in an heroic way last year in the Mediterranean that they will see their loved ones get permanent recognition through the awarding of the medal which I signed off this morning. The LE Róisínis ready to continue the remarkable work carried out by the LE Eithne, the LE Niamhand the LE Samuel Beckettlast year. I wish Lieutenant Commander Ultan Finegan and each and every member of the crew of the LE Róisína safe and successful mission.

As the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am conscious the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has a role to play. We have a very special relationship with the World Food Programme. Last year during the Expo events in Italy, I felt it was important that Ireland made a real statement regarding assistance for people in refugee camps who have nothing because of the issues we are all debating today. We have trebled the contribution from the Department to the UN World Food Programme to €60 million, with a specific request that it be targeted at refugees, in particular Syrian refugees. This is because of the extreme and difficult situation experienced in refugee camps which are simply overcrowded and overloaded. I hope people will take some solace from this. We committed €20 million a year for three years from last year, which is a commitment of €60 million guaranteed funding for the World Food Programme specifically to alleviate the concerns of many Syrian and other refugees in camps managed by the UN World Food Programme. It is by far the world's largest humanitarian organisation, and the idea it does not know how much funding it will have from year to year is a disgraceful situation which we are trying to change. I hope that by Ireland making a contribution for multiannual funding to the UN World Food Programme, we will be able to give an example to other countries to do the same, so it can plan ahead in a much more effective way with regard to managing refugee camps in particular and with regard to the other work it does, such as nutrition, knowing it will have budgets to spend not only this year but next year and into the future.

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