Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. More than ever, all of us in this House need to be willing to talk about migration and to do so in a fair way.

I want to make the case for migration and why it is a good thing for Ireland. When I go into any hospital in Ireland, including ones in which I have worked, I see a very diverse workforce. Many of the doctors, nurses and other staff who looked after the stabbing victims come from other parts of the world. When I go into high-tech or pharmaceutical companies - the ones paying massive taxes to the State - I see a diverse workforce. I know those companies would not be in Ireland were it not for the fact that they can recruit staff from all over the world. We would not have the money we now have for health, education or housing were it not for the migrants who come to Ireland and work in those companies. When I go to a restaurant, café or shop, I see a diverse workforce as well. Ireland would not be the country it is, we would not have the public services we have and, in all ways imaginable, Ireland would not be a better place in any way I can think of were it not for the fact that so many people come here legally to take up work, study and visit. It is important that we all have the courage as politicians to make the case in favour of migration to the State.

A lot of people, particularly people of colour in Ireland, are very afraid because of what happened on Thursday night. I have spoken to business owners who had to close their shops or offices early because staff, particularly staff who are brown or black, were afraid of what might happen to them. More than ever, we all need to understand - me, Deputy Lowry and everyone - the effects our words might have when talking about the issue of migration. That is not for a second to dismiss concerns people may have. If a large number of people move into a local area, town or village, of course people will have concerns which need to be addressed and answered. Of course there is a difference between people who come to the country legally and those who arrive irregularly. The amount of control we exert over that, as with any state, is limited. The United Kingdom, for example, has proposed a hostile environment for migration for many years. That is the term it uses; it is not my term. It left the European Union in part to take back control of borders. The front page of the Financial Timesduring the week stated there were record numbers of migrants and immigrants going to the UK for lots of different reasons. We need to be honest with people about all of these issues.

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