Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)

I genuinely welcome the Taoiseach's comments. I also hope he will practice a bit more of what he is preaching today because they are welcome. In comparison to yesterday, when Deputy Fitzmaurice raised increasing knife crime in the same breath as concerns about the asylum system, the Taoiseach's response was to thank him, and I quote, "for raising the issue in a responsible and fair way." Then when my colleague, Deputy Quaide, later pulled him up on that and said we had a duty not to use that kind of language which inflames tensions, the Taoiseach accused him of being intolerant and asked him to reflect on his comments.

The Taoiseach should reflect on that. He should show leadership and counter false narratives like that rather than indulge them. I am not saying that we cannot discuss the asylum system; we absolutely have to do so, but it should not be too much to ask that we do so in a fact-based way and that we shut down racist tropes. This is something we all have to do at every opportunity. I hope the Taoiseach will do it too in the future. What plans are there to counter those false narratives?

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