Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for bringing forward this legislation, which the Labour Party welcomes. I will first deal with the Ukrainian situation. In fairness to the Ministers who are present, they have worked hard to listen about the fall gaps for those who are trying to live lives here and who are trying to get accommodation and employment here. They have picked through all those issues and come up with solutions. As has been said, this has been a massive effort across all Departments and across society.

We often criticise the political system and we are often very self-critical in Ireland, but we have to take a moment to realise we probably stand alone in Europe as being the only country that does not have immigration at the top of the political debate list. We do not discuss it. It is not a political debating point. It never comes up at elections. There is no political entity here that wants to score points over immigration. We should seize that, recognise it and not be complacent about it. It is something that gives us all credit. As far I know in my political time, there has been no voice here that has sought to limit numbers or sought to create division. That is outside of the referendum in 2004, which I considered a dark period. It is almost 20 years from that and it is to our credit in Ireland that when it comes to our moral and historical obligation to open our doors, our families and our communities, we step up and it is not a point of political debate.

However, the point has been made about ensuring we do this correctly and ensuring those who have come to Ireland seeking asylum do not feel there is an injustice in how they are being treated compared with the programme refugees we have from Ukraine. There have been suggestions that in the education system, for example, it is easier to access language supports for Ukrainians than for other children in the system. That is something we have to guard against. All the practical measures the Government has taken here, ranging from the €400 in respect of accommodation to drivers' licences and childcare provision, are absolutely necessary. The Government has responded to the issues and is producing legislation to give legislative underpinning for these things. That is to be commended and the Labour Party supports the Ministers on that.

Regarding the Stardust, I do not think anybody could imagine, and people still cannot get their heads around it 41 years later, the magnitude of what happened. If we woke up this morning and learned that 48 people had been burned to death last night, can you imagine how the country would feel? That is exactly what happened 41 years ago. It is a failure for all of us that this has not been resolved and the truth has not come out. What clings to this entire discussion is the sense that they did not get justice because of where they were from - working-class kids from working-class communities on the northside of Dublin. If that fire had happened anywhere else in Ireland, they would have known the truth by now.

That is the sense the communities and the families have. It is hard to shake that off when you read about it and when you talk to the parents, families and relatives who have gone through it, as I have done, and the local people who are concerned about it. The overriding sense of injustice is that they were just not powerful enough to get the answers at the time. Even the finding of probable arson stinks of saying it is their own fault and they probably set fire to it themselves. It is probable arson. Again, that just speaks to total social injustice, if the Minister understands what I mean. I know that finding was overturned, but that is the overriding sense. Families have been told to stop campaigning and to give it up so we can all move on, but I do not believe anybody could ever move on from 48 people being burned to death. The communities and families cannot move on from that, nor should they. None of us should move on from that until we have absolute truth and understanding of what happened.

The Minister has listened to the families, to their concerns, to their representatives and to their legal counsel and she has responded. That is to be commended and the Labour Party supports her on that. I ask that Deputies from the local area such as me, Deputy Mitchell and others be involved in this process and that we talk to each other as we go through it. We want to be helpful in this and to be consulted as much as is reasonable, because we want to be part of the solution as well. When it comes to other legislative measures that are required, I am sure a briefing for local Deputies would be beneficial because we are part of the solution here.

To conclude on these two matters, the Ministers are to be commended. They have listened to the fall gaps in terms of what Ukrainian individuals and families are going through in Ireland and they have put forward legislative underpinnings for certain requirements they have. They have also listened about the Stardust and have made the changes that are required. All any of us can hope, and both of these issues come from a very different but very real sense of injustice, is that those fleeing war will find comfort and love here and find their time here to have been empowering, loving and caring and that if they get the chance to go home at some point, they will have fond reflections on their time here in Ireland, and for the families of the Stardust victims, that they can look at their State and their legislative bodies and say that in the end they did listen and we did work together to find the truth.

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