Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate. It is very important that the Oireachtas takes the time to discuss the migration issue generally but also the international protection system. It is also important that we give significant and appropriate time to discussion of the migration pact. I recognise the Minister, Deputy McEntee, for her work in this regard but also for making sure it has received significant debate at the Oireachtas committee level, which is important, in today’s debate and, if necessary, in further debate in the Dáil and Seanad. The legislation that will follow will present a significant opportunity for the Houses of the Oireachtas to assess and tease out the proposals and make sure they are fully considered.

I will take up Deputy Gannon’s point at the start of his contribution. It is important to recognise the significant contribution that migrants make on an ongoing basis to this country. We are very fortunate to have people who are contributing in all areas of society. With 2.7 million people at work in Ireland, it is vital that we have a strong employment permit system in place to allow non-EEA nationals to fill significant skills and labour gaps that cannot be filled in Ireland or, indeed, in Europe. Migrants today make up 20% of our workforce and are crucial in many sectors, not least healthcare and construction. Their participation in high-skilled roles in engineering, science and ICT across the economy contributes to the strong economy and society that we have. In 2023 alone, more than 30,000 work permits were issued to non-EEA workers.

Alongside the significant contribution that migrants make to our economy and society through work permits and participation in the Common Market, it is also important that we have systems in place to support people in need of international protection. Of course, our country stepped up significantly in regard to the terrible atrocity of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. We welcomed people to different parts of our country at a time of dire need and provided shelter and refuge for many people. We saw that in communities across the country and it continues today.

In recent times, we have seen particular challenges within the international protection system, in particular a significant step change from pre-Covid to last year and this year in terms of a significant increase in the number of people seeking international protection. It is important that we respond appropriately by making sure we have the processes in place to deal with those seeking refuge in this country, that they get a fair assessment of their application and that those who require protection receive it. We also need to make sure that for those who do not meet the criteria, there is an effective system in place to process their applications, they get a prompt answer and there are systems in place to have them returned.

We have seen a significant increase from approximately 3,000 applicants pre-Covid to approximately 13,000 last year and it is likely to be in excess of 20,000 this year. The Minister for Justice, working on the accommodation side with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has responded to that increase in number. It is important that significant resources have been provided to ensure that processing can be administered as quickly as possible. We have seen a doubling of the number of staff working on that aspect and, of course, there are plans in place to significantly increase that, which is important.

It is crucial that we co-operate with other countries to have an effective system in place. That is why, alongside putting in place systems in our own country that can meet the increased number of applications, we are also working at European level and with our neighbours in Britain and the wider UK to ensure there is co-operation on the processing of applications and information sharing. That is where the EU migration pact has emerged from, with EU countries coming together for what is a shared challenge and a shared responsibility in making sure we provide refuge to people who are coming from many parts of the world where they may be experiencing dire circumstances and danger. We are working across borders to make sure there are systems in place. If we do not do that, it will be impossible for any one country in isolation to be able to deal with the challenge that will be with us for many years to come.

As we know, the world currently has significant dangers and conflicts. I saw that most recently as part of the St. Patrick's Day visit I made to the Horn of Africa, where I visited Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia. I visited one refugee camp at Kakuma in northern Kenya that had 700,000 refugees in place. Of course, significant ongoing conflicts and recent conflicts have led to many people being displaced. In South Sudan, for example, more than million people have been displaced as a result of the civil war there and 1 million people have been displaced in northern Ethiopia as a result of the war in Tigray, with 600,000 people killed during that civil war. Of course, we know the challenges, the trauma and the terrible devastation in Palestine, alongside what is happening in Ukraine.

These conflicts are going to be present in a number of forms for years to come and the world is a much smaller place than it ever was before.

We have to work to be able to have a system in place that provides refuge to those who need international protection and works effectively. The EU migration pact is going to be crucial in that regard.

Those who oppose this system are not putting forward alternatives. It is not possible to do this alone. The only way forward is to work together to share this challenge, which every country in the EU is facing, and to ensure we are humane, provide support to people who need it and the systems in place are robust, fair and well implemented. I recommend the adoption of the pact as a way forward. It is important that the Oireachtas puts the legislation in place over the next two years and makes a decision at this point that we are signing up the EU migration pact so that those processes can start and we can all move together in a way that shares this important challenge facing all member states. I thank the Minister for Justice for bringing forward the motion. I also thank all those who contributed to this debate and those who will contribute to the processes that will move forward in the time ahead.

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