Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The immigration, migration and asylum debate, like the system, often seems unclear, unfocused and even chaotic, and often sees more disinformation than almost any other issue in the public policy sphere, on common travel areas, EU travel zones, stamp 4, work visas, international protection and the Ukrainian scheme. It is also worth remembering that 100,000 people arrived in Ireland last year on work visas and they are the people staffing our nursing homes and hospitals.

Nation states can and should manage their borders and we do not believe in an open border policy. We believe that all states should manage migration, and this includes having an immigration and asylum system with well-functioning rules and regulations. However, those rules and regulations must be clear and understandable to everyone. In an area like healthcare, for example, many of those working in such roles are migrants themselves. The current stamp system requires more staffing and resourcing to give quicker responses. We need a fair and efficient system, which includes returning failed applicants. It is clear that the asylum system is failing and it is a failure of Government because the Government’s own plan, while not perfect, has not been implemented.

There is still a total reliance on the private direct provision market. Providers are cashing in, buying cheaper hotels or guesthouses and sometimes renovating them, sometimes not, but making huge amounts of money with no consideration or consultation with the area in which they have purchased, and no consideration for services to be provided for those making applications for international protection. Why would they, when the Government has made it so easy for them? We then have the inevitable frustration among people in certain areas, including places like Killarney, who feel tired and feel that having taken in thousands, once again their areas are being taken for granted and asked to accommodate more when other areas are not hosting at all.

Turning to the motion, we agree that large amounts are spent on private accommodation. As in so many other areas, the Government is using current spending to chase what should be a capital spend. The unsuitability of the accommodation provided, as well as the location of much of it in peripheral places, is exacerbating problems and causing issues with integration that are being exploited by some people.

Some issues have turned up in the debate today. It is not correct to say that the Irish who went abroad did not avail of services in other countries. Every single month in my office, sometimes every week, I deal with people who want to return home from England who have benefited from the National Health Service and who have been provided with accommodation by the English state for many years. It is correct that some areas are feeling anxiety but that is because there is a lot of disinformation provided by people who link asylum seekers to criminality, which is irresponsible and unacceptable. While there are undoubtedly pressures due to the large numbers seeking protection and the Russian aggression in Ukraine, it is not acceptable that the Government is not following its own White Paper.

The Catherine Day report suggested State-led reception centres around the Twenty-six Counties where applicants would stay while their applications were being processed. A clear phase 1 and phase 2 approach, with reception centres followed by own-door accommodation, is what is required. The White Paper allowed for some ambiguity in how this was to be achieved but the Government has exploited that by mostly focusing on private provision. No progress has been made. There were also IT innovations and other measures recommended in the Catherine Day report but the applications are still taking a long time to process and there are lengthy delays in appeals.

In short, we need certainty and we need a system that is clear: clear for the public, clear for applicants and clear in addressing those who have genuine concerns.

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