Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue in a responsible and fair way. I acknowledge that. People are worried and anxious. The Deputy made a fair point at the outset that he is not criticising migration generally or the fact that we now have a country and society that have evolved, with many people of different ethnic origins living in the State who are as Irish as sure as the next man is. We need proper tolerance and equality on that front. As the Deputy correctly said, in our hospitals, our healthcare facilities and our technology companies, the fact that we have absorbed and can draw on a lot of human capital has been a very important ingredient in societal and economic development. That needs to be acknowledged.

The process of seeking asylum in this country has come under huge pressure in recent years. Particularly post the Covid-19 pandemic, the numbers increased dramatically. Side by side with that, there was the war in Ukraine, which caused the displacement of about 12 million Ukrainians. There is also the weaponisation of migration by Russia. The Deputy instanced Poland. On the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and so on and right across Poland, Russia is weaponising migration, sending migrants into those countries as part of its wider war effort.

To get back to Ireland specifically, I agree we need a faster and firm procedure in dealing with those seeking asylum. The majority - I think 60% or 70% - are adjudged to be economic migrants as opposed to seeking refuge if some of the outcomes of the process are taken into account. The International Protection Office is processing much faster and the accelerated cases are within the six months. Yes, the appeal system can take a bit longer, but the Minister is working with a set of proposals to speed up the appeal process. About 3,500 deportation orders were signed this year, compared with about 2,400 last year. Of those, about 1,600 have been confirmed as having left the country, either through voluntary departure or through deportation flights and other mechanisms. Overall, I think the number seeking asylum is down this year by about 30%, maybe.

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