Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for sharing time with me.

It is fair to say that, as a consequence of war, famine, climate change and general unrest across the globe, migration is something that we will be dealing with as a country for a considerable time to come. Despite what people in the Opposition claim, if we want to deal with this issue comprehensively, we cannot do so alone. The Irish are probably some of the most decent, humane and fair-minded people across the globe, but we must also acknowledge the growing concern that that generosity may be exploited. However, it must also be called out that there are people exploiting some legitimate concerns for political gain.

When discussing this issue, we must always do so in a respectful and humane manner and we must never forget that we are talking about fellow human beings who, for no other reason than the lottery of birth, find themselves seeking asylum in another country. The Government has been dealing with unprecedented levels of asylum seekers over the past two years in particular. It is important that we acknowledge that there is a difference between people who are seeking asylum and people who are coming to the country through other channels, for example, critical skills permits and work visas. The people we are speaking about today are seeking asylum. To be fair to the Government, it wanted to respond in a humane and timely manner, but mistakes were made because of that. We allowed processing times to get too long and we did not implement the Dublin Convention, which should have been implemented early on. Disproportionate numbers of people were put into communities in isolated locations where proper services were not in place, for example, public transport to convey people who could work or attend college. People were being moved around, and continue to be. If we are serious about supporting asylum seekers in integrating into, mixing with and settling down in our communities, then we should refrain from moving them around like pieces on a chess board. If people are to integrate into society, they should be allowed to stay in the communities where they have built up friendships, etc.

Unfortunately, and as I have stated several times, we as a Government have become too dependent on the private sector over the past two years. Many public buildings remain unutilised in supporting people who are seeking asylum. This issue needs to be addressed. If we want to gain the trust of the people on this issue, we need to acknowledge where mistakes were made and address them.

I wish to ask some questions before concluding. How many EU countries will opt into this proposal? On 15 May, 15 EU states published a statement regarding new solutions to address irregular migration in the EU, a copy of which I have with me. Where does that sit with this directive? I would welcome the Minister’s feedback.

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