Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with most of what the Taoiseach said. I certainly have not heard anyone in the Chamber today conflate terrible crimes with migrants. There is no evidence to support that. I am also not grandstanding and looking for the head of the Minister. As I said to the Taoiseach at the end of my initial comments, this is the time for cohesion and we need to see how we can work together.

However, there is also a reluctance to grasp the nettle sometimes and to be honest with people. It is not enough to say Irish people are generous and welcoming. They are, but that is not enough. This is a very sensitive and complicated issue. I agree with the Taoiseach that it is global and national, but people are looking to the Government to have an honest and open discussion about its overall policy and the granular detail in terms of how that policy is being managed and how communities can respond to it in a positive way and not putting out fires after the fact, which is terrible for communities and is driving division. The Taoiseach knows it and I know it. It is the Government’s responsibility to stop that happening.

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