Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Since I came into office, we have debated the issues of migration, immigration, international protection and the war in Ukraine extensively in this Chamber. We have done it through statements, oral questions and Leaders' Questions. Those debates have been robust and informative. This is entirely appropriate. We are in the midst of one of the greatest humanitarian exercises and responses we have ever had to undertake as a State in terms of meeting the needs of 100,000 people who fled to this country over the last year from the war in Ukraine and conflict elsewhere in the world via the international protection process.

We can have these conversations about migration and immigration. We can debate those issues and can hold different views. Equally, the Government has an important role in providing accurate, factual and timely information to public representatives. I have met and spoken with many of those here, as has my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O’Brien. We have also met businesses, councillors and constituents. As Members will be aware, we have a dedicated community engagement team. I know many Deputies will have spoken with the team's members about accommodation being used in their constituencies and this has helped them to allay concerns their constituents have raised.

It is important we make clear that the international protection process is a rules-based one. International protection means fairly and humanely examining people's applications for asylum, sheltering and supporting them while their applications are being processed and giving people the right to stay here, where it is needed. Where it is found that people do not have a basis for their claim, they will not be allowed to stay in this country. Where someone is claiming international protection, he or she must do so at the International Protection Office. When people enter that process, they are fingerprinted and photographed. Those fingerprints are checked against Eurodac, an EU immigration database which stores the fingerprints of asylum applicants and those who have crossed borders illegally. Character and conduct checks are undertaken by An Garda Síochána at the point where consideration is being given to someone being granted refugee status or other permission to remain in the State. To stick with the facts, while people are being accommodated in the State, they are provided with accommodation alongside a payment of €38.80 per week for adults. People are entitled to seek work here after six months. These are the facts. When we are speaking in this Chamber, it is important that we, as public representatives, speak accurately about the facts. We can debate the issues around this issue and the policies. That is part of a normal, functional democracy and the role we as public representatives need to play.

However, what has happened in parts of the country over the past number of years is the antithesis of this democratic process. The arson attacks we have seen recently are deeply sinister and are designed to intimidate and threaten the normal functioning of government and of this State. Make no mistake about it - this is violent extremism and it is being drip-fed by a feed of misinformation and disinformation, with the result that people, homes and communities are actively being put at risk. Not only has accommodation earmarked for international protection applicants been burned down, but so has accommodation marked for Irish people who are homeless and buildings that have no connection with the State whatsoever. Even in cases where my Department has publicly confirmed a building is not going to be used by us, attacks are still carried out. The people taking these actions claim to be patriots. They wave our flag, yet they are literally burning down parts of our country which they claim to love. They are putting at risk the communities they claim to be protecting. Violence and the threat of it, the destruction of property and the risk to life show us that these are people who care nothing about communities or their country. They do not care about the truth; they care only about advancing a very narrow and dangerous ideology, whatever the cost.

We have to be clear about the real-world impacts of these crimes. Right now, we are facing into a serious accommodation crisis for those seeking international protection. As of today, around 1,000 men have not been offered accommodation. The situation is steadily becoming more challenging. We are facing into similar shortages in accommodation for women and children. The effect of these arson attacks is to deny or delay accommodation to those who need it, leaving vulnerable people in a more vulnerable position. The attacks also place at risk the people living in the buildings, as well as local communities, with fires threatening to spread to adjoining buildings, and the emergency services. I welcome the ongoing investigations by An Garda Síochána into recent arson attacks. I urge anyone with information about any of these crimes to contact the Garda. It is vital that those committing these crimes learn that there are consequences to them.

In my Department, we seek to support accommodation providers in relation to their security. Accommodation providers are aware of their obligations in providing security in the centres and, on occasions of heightened risk, the Department has supported individual accommodation locations to bring on additional security. We also have a 24-7 emergency phone line for accommodation providers and public bodies for advice and action outside normal office hours. Each accommodation centre also has a Garda inspector designated as a liaison officer. This person serves as a direct point of contact if an issue of concern arises.

I thank An Garda Síochána for the support it provides to individual centres. As we continue to respond to the very severe accommodation crisis faced by the State, we will continue to liaise closely with accommodation providers and An Garda Síochána in order to provide safety and security for international protection applicants and local communities. While undoubtedly these attacks grab headlines, over the past number of years, and in recent months in particular, we have seen a quiet welcome being extended by communities throughout the country to people arriving, seeking shelter from the war in Ukraine and other conflicts. I believe these communities represent the best of Irish values of empathy, solidarity, an understanding of our history and an understanding what it means to be marginalised.

As I do in all these discussions, I thank Deputies for their ongoing engagement with me, particularly when people are being accommodated in their own communities. I recognise the great work of community groups around the country in welcoming new arrivals into their communities and making them feel welcome, safe and secure.

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