Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot hear the Deputy.

When it comes to migration, it is fanciful in the extreme to think that this small little island with, thankfully, an open border - which we all worked very hard to protect during the Brexit process - could just go it alone regarding global and EU migration and that we would continue with the system in which we cannot effectively return anybody, in many ways, in terms of secondary movements and where, as the Deputy pointed out, the deportation system can be challenging at times. To sign up to a significant overhaul of the rules would result in a firmer migration system - a fair but firmer one - and Ireland would disproportionately benefit because so many people who come to Ireland seeking refuge come here from what are called secondary movements. There is no doubt following my engagements in Europe in the past week - and I doubt there will be any after my engagements this week - but that Ireland stands to be one of the big beneficiaries of the EU migration pact. We will have plenty of time in this House to debate and discuss that.

I wish to be clear about our migration system.

As I think the Deputy will know, it is not possible to put costings on these things. The dynamic effects are that Ireland will benefit in some ways and not in others-----

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