Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

Migration has become a touchstone issue in Irish public discourse. Too often, it is used as a wedge issue - a tool to divide communities, to stoke fear, to sow hate and to distract from the Government’s failures. In my experience, people who come to Ireland from abroad make an enormous contribution to our society. They work alongside us in hospitals and care homes, in our schools, in construction, technology and hospitality. They are neighbours, friends, team mates, fellow parishioners, partners, colleagues and carers. All of us, if we think for a moment, can name people from other countries who have given outstanding service to our families, our communities and Ireland as a whole. We are a nation of welcomes and we value them as part of our society. Is tír na chéad míle fáilte sinne. Cuirimid luach orthu siúd atá ina gcónaí inár measc agus ag cur lenár bpobail.

Sinn Féin is crystal clear that there can be no tolerance of racism or xenophobia. There is no space in our society for violence or hate. We have experienced xenophobia abroad and sectarianism at home. We must be able to talk to one another about migration in a way that is honest, respectful and productive. We must support communities and support integration. We need a proper and adequately resourced strategy that begins at community level and provides resources for schools, clubs and community groups and much-needed investment in community infrastructure across rural and urban Ireland.

The Minister must acknowledge that Government failure has created fertile ground for division. Decades of underinvestment in housing, health and education have left our public services under severe pressure. Communities that already struggle for GPs, school places and affordable rents are asked to carry the can for the lack of planning at national level. That is unfair to those communities and to those who are seeking a new home here. Government has failed and is continuing to fail and our communities are the ones paying the price.

The international protection system is not working. Decisions and appeals take far too long and profiteering by unscrupuous IPAS accommodation providers has been allowed to run unchecked. Billions of euro are being spent on contracts with very little transparency while some private operators enrich themselves. This undermines public confidence and it undermines fairness.

Sinn Féin is calling for a full review of IPAS contracts, an end to profiteering, and proper planning in the siting of accommodation guided by need, capacity and the availability of services. We need to end the policy of handing over more powers on migration to the EU and instead make decisions that reflect Ireland’s unique circumstances, including the outworkings of Brexit and the common travel area. Above all, we need leadership - leadership that is fair, transparent and rooted in the best of our values. That means standing up to racism, tackling profiteering, resourcing integration and managing migration in a way that protects for all our people regardless of their background.

That is Sinn Féin's vision and mine. It is a fair, managed and humane migration system, one that strengthens communities rather than dividing them.

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