Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the Taoiseach said something extraordinary. He said he did not believe there are enough gardaí on the streets in Dublin to protect asylum seekers living in tents. This was an astonishing statement for a number of reasons. First, it was incredibly cynical. It is not the job or duty of gardaí to ensure that people who come to this country seeking safety and support have a secure place to stay; it is the Government's responsibility to do this. It is failing in this legal and moral duty. Second, the Taoiseach's comments were also incredibly worrying because they seemed to imply we should now get used to seeing hundreds of asylum seekers sleeping rough on our streets. Was he telling us this is the new norm? Is this what the Government is now willing to accept? The Government cannot, and should not, outsource its responsibility to protect asylum seekers to overworked and under-resourced gardaí. After more than a year of this crisis, when will the Government live up to its own responsibilities and stop deflecting blame for this catastrophic failure?

See this speech in context