Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be the first from the Government benches to put my hand up to acknowledge we have been far too slow to respond to the immigration crisis. We entered Government in early 2020 with fewer than 3,000 arrivals per annum and a commitment to end direct provision as part of the programme for Government. Over the intervening four years, numbers have soared and we have peppered the country with a series of pop-up accommodation centres to the detriment of local tourism and commerce. We did not react decisively and failed to read the emerging crisis globally as numbers soared. Today, 104,000 Ukrainians are here with temporary protection status. Up to the end of March this year 5,163 people sought international protection. This was up by 72%, or 2,170 people, on the same period last year. Only a handful of businesspeople have benefited while our short-sightedness has dealt a hammer blow to many of these local economies that invariably will struggle to recover.

Notwithstanding that, Europe is currently experiencing the biggest movement of people since the end of the Second World War. Conflict in Ukraine and Syria, as well as climate change and economic desperation are driving migrant flows into the EU. All the while, Russia continues to weaponise migration in an attempt to undermine our democracies and radicalise political discourse. It is only through standing together as members of the European Union that we can address the challenges posed by immigration. As a Government we failed to read the warning signs, and measures that should have been implemented, fast-tracked and escalated two or three years ago are only now coming into play. The proposed pact does not make it easier to immigrate to Ireland or seek refuge here. Ignoring the pact does not allow us to pull up the drawbridge and say "No". On the contrary, the pact introduces a common set of policies in the area of immigration, asylum and border management. It will harmonise procedures across the EU and reduce the time international protection applicants spend waiting for decisions. Those who are not entitled to asylum will be processed swiftly and those who are entitled will access protection in shorter timeframes. Under the pact, mandatory processing times are three months for an accelerated decision, two months for an inadmissible decision and six months for a standard decision. The pact contains resources to help us meet these timeframes, supported by at least €1.9 billion to be allocated by the EU to ensure the pact works as intended. There are also those who will say that we can and should go it alone on migration. Indeed, the Government could in principle implement alternative reforms outside the EU legal framework. However, such a move would require significant investment and leave us without access to key EU systems and investments. Opting in allows Ireland to and will ensure it can avail of technical and financial supports. In addition to the supports that will be made available, opting in will have positive benefits for our communities. Due to the reduced processing time, adequate accommodation, facilities and supports will be readily available. This will reduce the need to source accommodation in unsuitable community facilities as we have been doing for the past number of years to the detriment of rural Ireland.

There is a real risk that if Ireland does not opt into the pact, we would inadvertently become an outlier in the asylum space, which would encourage greater movement into Ireland leading to our system becoming overwhelmed. There is a suggestion out there that this is just an issue for Ireland. This is an issue right across Europe and there is no European country at the moment not facing an immigration crisis. Countries like Germany, France, Italy and Greece have greater fears and concerns about immigration. It is only by working together as a harmonious force across the European community that we will address this issue. Notwithstanding our successes over the past 20 or 30 years, we are still a small country and a fledgling but successful economic force. We cannot address the immigration crisis on our own. We can only do it in unity and solidarity with our European partners. That is why the pact is so important for Ireland.

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