Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I listened to the Taoiseach's responses earlier and I agree that, as a country, we are far richer because of the diversity of the people who have chosen to live here and call this country their home. The Government's response to those seeking international protection has been largely comprehensive given the huge numbers. That said, challenges remain, such as in seeking appropriate accommodation. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, brought forward a proposal to impose a 90-day limit. Another challenge is that some seeking international protection have come from safe countries and already have protection in other safe countries. A further challenge is the time it takes for an application to be processed. We need a fair, compassionate, balanced and realistic debate in this House. If we do not have that debate in this House, we run the risk of leaving the debate to people on the extremes and that could be dangerous. I support the calls made earlier today for us to initiate a debate on this matter in the near future.

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