Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this topical issue debate on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality who cannot be here this afternoon. As the Tánaiste recently outlined in responses to a number of parliamentary questions on this issue, we should be clear there is no official refugee or migrant camp in Calais. Calais does not fall under the EU relocation or resettlement decisions that Ireland has opted into, and therefore the people in Calais are not eligible for the Irish refugee protection programme because they are under the jurisdiction of the French authorities and have the right to apply for international protection in France.

The French authorities recently announced they will close the unofficial migrant camp in Calais by the end of this year and will move the approximately 9,000 inhabitants to new accommodation in reception centres throughout the country. This is being done to protect the security of the people of Calais, to maintain public order and to ensure dignified conditions for the migrants and refugees living in the Calais camp, including unaccompanied minors.

We also need to bear in mind that a defining characteristic of the people in Calais, including unaccompanied minors, has been their very strong desire to go to the UK as their ultimate destination and that this is unlikely to change. In our sincere efforts to respond to the migrant crisis, it is essential that we do not impose our perspectives or solutions upon them. In this respect, the Tánaiste and I do not see that a unilateral initiative from Ireland would be appropriate in this case, not least given the fact this is a delicate situation involving the borders between two other member states.

Deputies are aware that the Government decision to establish the Irish refugee protection programme recognised the importance of prioritising family groups and addressing the position of unaccompanied children. A significant number of those who have arrived to date under the resettlement and relocation elements of the programme are children with one or two parents. Deputies are also aware that when we speak about the Irish refugee protection programme we are referring to relocation from Italy and Greece and resettlement under the UNHCR-led programme which is focused on resettling refugees from camps in Lebanon.

With regard to unaccompanied minors, Ireland has formally indicated to Greece our desire to accept unaccompanied minors under the relocation mechanism, and we now have a commitment from the Greek authorities that Ireland will receive the first group of unaccompanied minors before the end of the year. Officials from Tusla, the child and family agency with statutory responsibility for the care of unaccompanied minors in the State, have recently travelled to Greece to assess first hand the needs of these minors and to plan for their care and accommodation upon arrival.

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