Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Migration has always been part of Ireland's story. For generations our people went abroad seeking work and opportunity. Today people come here for the same reasons, namely, safety, jobs and a chance to build a life. It is important to say migration is not new for this country and given the current climate of the globe I do not believe it is going away.

It is important that we distinguish between what we might call normal immigration - people who come in, apply for a work permit and work and contribute to this country - and those who are fleeing persecution and seeking asylum for various reasons. The real issue here is how we manage it. Managed well, migration is positive, and strengthens our economy, our health service and our communities. Managed badly, it creates division, waste and a loss of confidence.

I want to be really clear about something I have watched over the last few years and I know the Minister is acutely aware of. It is the rapid increase in spending on IPAS accommodation, going from €130 million in 2020 to over €480 million in 2022 and in excess of €1.2 billion last year. We all know this rate of increase is not sustainable but I understand that it was in response to a crisis. The numbers had risen very quickly and had to be managed. My problem with how quickly the money was spent is that the financial procedures appear to have gone out the window. There was no public procurement and every IPAS centre was set up on an expression-of-interest basis. Essentially, whoever could provide the beds quickly enough got the contract, which was wrong because such big money is at stake here. It was wrong that that scale of money was paid out with no proper financial procedures in place. As a member of the public accounts committee I am looking forward to officials from the Department of justice coming before the public accounts committee to discuss how they are rectifying it now. That was a couple of billion euro in just a few short years. It has just left frustration in communities and we still do not have a sustainable system in place. There is a lot of work to be done there.

It is important to say that migration as a whole is not the problem. The problem is the lack of a rules-based system and the absence of forward planning, clear procedures and accountability. A fair system must mean two things: efficiency and humanity for applicants but also fairness for communities being asked to absorb the pressure. The community recognition fund has been widely welcomed across the country and has played a really important role in recognising the efforts of communities to integrate asylum applicants while they are with them in their community.

I know the Minister is working to accelerate the speed at which applicants are dealt with. Ultimately, nobody deserves to be left in a hotel unable to work and not receiving very much support. The reality is they need to be dealt with swiftly and a determination made. If somebody is permitted to stay, work and contribute, they get to do that, but if they are required to leave because they are not entitled to seek asylum in this country or they have not come through the proper channels, they must ultimately leave.

What failed was not foresight. We knew there would be pressure from the war in Ukraine and from international protection, but instead of structured planning the State went from one emergency to another and was a essentially firefighting. I know I am hammering on that point, but it is important that we put in place the structures. There has definitely been a marked improvement in the last few months.

I want to turn to a local example in east Galway. The Merriman Hotel is the sole hotel in the village of Kinvara in south Galway. It is a beautiful village with great people and has always been incredibly welcoming of asylum seekers. From 2019 and for many years the Merriman Hotel was an IPAS centre. However, its contract has been renewed for another two-year period which has really hurt the community. There was an expectation that this hotel would be brought back into use, providing a venue for tourists to stay as well as a venue for weddings, confirmations and christenings - everything that goes with a small village. We now have IPAS applicants staying in a hotel and tourists staying in homes and Airbnb accommodation, resulting in a mismatch. I know that the State is moving to acquire more State accommodation centres with the State as the provider so that we are not negatively impacting small villages and towns disproportionately. People in Kinvara are hopeful that the hotel will be returned to the community in the future and it will serve its function again. I hope to work with the Minister on that.

I want to talk about the positive contributions of migration and particularly migrants who are living in our communities and contributing day in, day out. They play a huge role in Ireland and are a huge strength to Ireland. Our hospitals simply could not function without them. Work permits in health and social care have more than doubled since 2020, which is welcome because people in Ireland need care and I am grateful for all of the people who do that. In my community in Athenry, people from all over the world contribute immensely to our town and make it a fantastic place. Migrants staff our building sites, the food sector and tech firms. They start businesses, they pay taxes and contribute every single day. In Galway alone, work permits have quadrupled since 2009.

Migration drives growth but growth without planning causes strain. Our housing, schools, transport and water systems have not kept pace. That is not inevitable; it is the result of poor planning. It is our responsibility to go forward and make sure that where we have seen increased population growth, we react. We need to put in place the investment in the national development plan and encourage the growth to continue. I believe Ireland as a country will be a great success into the future but only if we manage the growth correctly.

Where do we go from here? The choice is simple. We can continue with emergency responses, spending billions on hotels with no transparency and communities left behind or we can build a firm and fair system that is rules based, accountable and sustainable. That means investing in housing, schools, transport and services. It means proper procedures on spending and it means treating applicants with humanity while also ensuring communities are not overburdened. Migration will remain a part of Ireland's future and I am proud of that. The challenge is whether we face it with planning and fairness or keep repeating the same costly mistakes.

The Minister has taken steps in the right direction, which I really welcome, but delivery will be crucial. A rules-based system can restore trust, protect communities and allow migration to be the positive force we know it is, we know it can be and we know it will be in the future.

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