Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I believe and certainly hope we are all united in calling out the far right. We have all had experiences in our constituencies and communities of people trying to sow division. For the Government to effectively deal with that, it must not leave a vacuum. It must put in place the policies required for a functioning rules-based migration system. Immigration is a good thing. All of us in Government believe that. I think all of us in this House, or certainly most of us, believe that as well. Immigration is a good thing and we have benefited from people coming to our country but there must also be rules. We have to have an efficient courts system and a deportation system that works. We also have to ensure the costs we apply are the same as or similar to those in other European countries. It is about a balanced migration system that works. I am always calling out the far right. The Minister for justice is working with the full support of Government and I thank him for the work he is doing to make our migration system more efficient and more effective in advance of joining the EU asylum pact next year. Yesterday, I met with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and had an opportunity to brief him on the work this country is undertaking with regard to refugees and the work we do to support displaced people at an international level.

See this speech in context