Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The majority of people who come to Ireland come on work permits to work in industries and services across the length and breadth of the country and they do so legally. People from the European Union or Britain come here without even a work permit. Over recent years, large numbers of people have come to Ireland from Ukraine, which has put pressure on our system. We need to acknowledge that. We also see an increase in the number of people coming from countries outside of Europe seeking international protection. These two groups are the main focus of people's attention when it comes to what are often genuine concerns around immigration. Those fleeing war in Ukraine must be supported in every way possible. However, the Government's two-tier system, put in place by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, has caused concerns about inequality among many people. We have UN obligations to help and to give emergency accommodation and medical services to people when they come to our country. However, there is a need to be realistic. These emergency provisions cannot last indefinitely. It is important that people from Ukraine or anywhere else move into a normal system for services like everybody else across the country. Of course, they should be encouraged and assisted to find employment quickly after their arrival in order to eventually pay for their own accommodation. If they are entitled to other benefits, they should be assessed for them, just like everybody else in the State.

There are all sorts of false and exaggerated stories being shared and these need to be called out. Ukrainians do not get €5,000 each to buy a new car when they come to Ireland and asylum seekers do not abandon children's buggies on buses and get new ones each time they do so. I would be here all day if I were to go through all of the other false stories that are continuously spread. When people arrive in Ireland seeking international protection, they are fingerprinted and photographed and their details are recorded. This information is checked against a number of international databases, including those of Interpol and Europol. To my mind, that is a form of vetting.

Once these details have been gathered and processed, the refugees stay in a temporary centre while they await a decision from the Department of Justice. These people receive a payment of €38 per week and have their meals provided in the centre, where they are left staying for far too long. This is the direct provision system established by the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government back in the nineties as a temporary system. The system has been expanded and maintained by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments since then. It is a failed system. It fails the taxpayer and it fails the people seeking protection because of the long delays involved. However, it is a success for a small number of people. It is a success for property owners providing accommodation and for a small group of legal practitioners paid by the State to establish the legal status of applicants. I often hear communities ask why these people have come to their village. It is simply because the owner of a building has come to a financial arrangement with a Government Department. Despite years of criticism of this Fianna Fáil-established direct provision system, it still remains. We have had the McMahon report and the Catherine Day report but this dire system has stayed in place. People coming here simply want a better life and we have an obligation to provide them with that.

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