Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)

I am delighted to see Deputy Paul Murphy and welcome him back from his recent trip to Egypt. I was surprised when I heard Deputy Murphy saying how disappointed he was with Egypt and its Government because he was a number one supporter of the Arab Spring in 2011. I am surprised and shocked to hear that he does not support that regime now, a regime that he took to the streets and vehemently supported previously. What has happened? Oh, I know what it is - they took his phone off him. That is probably what is wrong.

There is something tragic in a nation that no longer has the resolve to enforce its own laws. This motion, designed merely to give effect to the European return regulation, is not just a procedural footnote but is a moment of national retreat. We are speaking of individuals who have entered Ireland, sought asylum, been lawfully heard and lawfully refused. Deputy Murphy said a moment ago that these people have roots in the community. These people, who have been lawfully listened to and legally gone through, do not have roots in the community. They should have not been here in the first place. That is the reality of it. What the Government needs to be doing is exactly what is done in Denmark and France, which is moving people around very quickly and turning it around. It is not that they have roots in the community. They should not have been here at all because they have entered this community incorrectly.

I find it amazing that people say that they have roots in the community when they have only been here five minutes and are here illegally and incorrectly, or they have made false declarations and are sent home because they are not lawfully here. We are following the law and that is what should be done, and correctly. I am amazed when I listen to these statements in the House. How anyone can come along with a statement like that, that they have roots in the community, is beyond me.

I went down to Cork Simon recently and I saw people queueing outside at 7 o'clock in the evening, even though they would not get in until 11 o'clock and would be lucky to get a mattress on the floor. That is what is happening to Irish people, yet in IPAS centres three meals a day are provided to people. There is a big turnaround. There are toiletries, solid beds and the whole lot. Everything is given to them. Everything is given to them, and rightly so if they are genuine, but if those people are not genuine, they should be turned around quickly, removed and sent back to their port of call. That is the reality of it.

I am amazed at the statements that are being made in the House today, this bleeding heart idea which does not really compute with what Irish people are saying and thinking. What Irish people are thinking is that it is about time the Government got fair with everybody.

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