Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We want to help people who are fleeing hunger, murder and tyranny, but wanting to do something and being properly prepared to do it are two different matters. This migration debate has caused huge division in the country and we have to stop thinking about it as one with a right or a wrong answer. One should never be criticised for saying we should stop, slow down or that we are not ready for this. The reason we are not ready is that, too often, we have had a slow and chaotic response.

This debate has reluctantly been agreed to by the Government because it knows it is vulnerable on these issues. It should also know that we are acting outside the best interests of the Irish people, as well as the interests of migrants whom we are blindly welcoming at this time without adequate resources. The direct provision system was failing long before the war in Ukraine. It shows Ireland needs to sort out its own house before it can bring more people into it.

One of the caveats in the European migration pact is that countries can impact their impact their intake of refugees where they can demonstrate activities in the origin countries to instigate social and economic change benefiting those communities that may otherwise migrate. This is something Ireland should be doing far more of. We need to do far more activity on the ground. As I said to the Minister previously, we should harmonise our safe country list and have exactly the same system and parallels throughout the European Union if we are active people. Most of all, we have to look at the proper resourcing and execution of facilities for dependent migrants.

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