Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I accept the challenge that Government must always do more on communication and talking to communities because if we do not, misinformation and disinformation spreads mostly by elements of the far right who come to our communities, spread their lies, spread their fear and sow division. We have all seen that happen. I, as a centrist politician, have always believed that the centre must get involved in the migration debate because otherwise we leave a vacuum that is filled often by the far right with misinformation.

We have been dealing with an emergency situation with a war on the Continent of Europe in Ukraine. We have been trying to provide assistance to more than 100,000 people from Ukraine who have come here at various stages and have been welcome as they are fleeing war and fighting for democracy and freedom back in Ukraine. On top of that, we have broader migration trends. Having said that, in this Government with its renewed mandate, we need to try to move beyond that emergency, build on the good positive pillars of work put in by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, working at a European level, using chartered planes for deportation where appropriate and giving people faster decisions on the right to be here, now having a Minister of State, my colleague, Deputy Brophy, in the Department of Justice, working with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. This will be an important area of priority for the Government in trying to show a way forward with a greater reliance on State facilities rather than taking facilities like hotels that may have been commercial or valuable to a community.

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