Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

When we talk about international protection, we need to wrap it up in the subject matter of migration. That is getting lost, not just in these Houses but in the country, and it is deeply concerning. Everybody in here has family members who have gone all over the world, mine included. I have double the number of first cousins outside this country than in this country. My only sibling lives in America. I have cousins in Asia, Australia and New Zealand - all over the world.

Half of my mother's family emigrated in the 1950s. We know how this works. In many ways, we know better than any race how this works. As the Minister outlined in his opening statement, we spent generations as migrants. Over the past number of years, we have obviously had to deal with this subject matter. We are not dealing with it very well in some cases, particularly in the past few years.

When we talk about defining the issues here, we have to discuss migration as a whole. This is a really pertinent and defining moment for our country. We are not really into extremes yet in this country, and that is a good thing, but we are in danger of changing as a country. The extreme views I am seeing across many different media formats out in the open in relation to a very small minority of people are very un-Irish. They are wrong. This is going to kill off forever Ireland of the welcomes. That is what we are known for.

International protection is only a small percentage of migration into this country - it is approximately 10% to 12%. We all know there have been decreases in relation to volume and, I understand, in the number of people being passed after appeal. The Minister said the majority of applicants are refused and he is right. The figure is approximately 58.4%. Some 40% are accepted. If I was Minister, the one thing I would do immediately is do a public awareness and support campaign for migrants into this country. Without them, this country would simply stop. I spent two years in the hospitals visiting my parents. Without migrants the health system in this country would stop. Across a whole range of other sectors, it would stop.

Will the Minister do a positivity campaign about migration to this country and the fact it is good that we are bringing these people into this country, that we need all these workers and that our health and care services would collapse without them? Let us call a spade a spade because many people will not say this. There are jobs in this country Irish people will not do anymore and we need people to supply services in our country. It is a good problem. That is outside the diversity, good social values and everything else that comes in from the mix of people arriving into our country and contributing.

I have two kids in secondary school. Some of their best friends come from migrant communities. I see what is going around. I come from outside the town of Nenagh, which is one of the wealthiest towns in Ireland. It is doing very well. That is why we have so many migrants; we need the workers. The contribution they make is incredible and yet we focus in on a small percentage of them in relation to international protection, a considerable number of whom come to this country for proper reasons, considering they are allowed to stay.

We talk about the small number of people who end up getting deported. Dare I say it but I have no issue with that. If you deserve to be deported, you should be deported. I believe in a rules-based system. I am not going to argue about that. I would argue about that if processing takes too long, particularly where children are involved, we are going to have to look at some exemptions. Does the Minister know why? In 2019 before the last general election, I was one of the few public representatives - in fact, I was the only TD - who stood up in relation to dealing with the issues in Borrisokane. People were fighting, arguing and worried about the number of people coming into Borrisokane.

There is a far-right element across this country and the Minister’s Department is very concerned about it. The Minister’s Department did a deal with the people of Borrisokane. The people of Borrisokane, who I am so proud to represent, honoured that deal. All of those people settled in Borrisokane, so much so as the Minister probably knows, that more than a year and a half ago, we had public meetings because they were being moved, including some 40 young children running up the street with their hurlies. We do not really play Gaelic football in Tipperary, although they play a little bit in Borrisokane. Those children were running up the street in their Borrisokane colours and now they were being moved. The same people who were going to block the entrance to the asylum centre four years previously were now going to block it to keep them in. That is the impact the people who arrived in Borrisokane had on the wider community. There was a large March through the town where I had to support them again because I will be consistent on this issue.

When we talk about migration, we need to be positive about it. Everybody needs to be positive about it. I am very concerned about the three largest parties in this country and what they have been saying offline, online, in here, out of here and in every other way. I am talking about Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin. Some of the commentary has been unacceptable. They have been trying to ride both horses. On the one hand, they want to be pro-migration while on the other hand, they make remarks which are totally unacceptable.

We nearly had a catastrophic event recently in Drogheda. Can the Ceann Comhairle imagine what would have happened if that had turned into a tragedy? What would have happened in this House then? Where would we have been going? What would the people have demanded then? What would the narrative have been? Dare I bloody say it but where would all the keyboard warriors be then - these anonymous, faceless thugs and cowards? We missed out narrowly but thankfully on that tragedy. We all know about the events in Citywest two weeks ago.

The reality is that one in five of all our workers - and the percentage is narrowing - is not originally from Ireland. We need these workers and we need to promote the benefits of such workers. I believe much of the political commentary recently has been diversionary in nature and it is absolutely horrendous. There are issues in relation to processing. There have been improvements, and I say that from an Opposition point of view to be balanced. However, there are also real, significant issues in relation to it still. The Minister has acknowledged the geographical distribution of IPAS centres needs to change. I dealt with an issue in my hometown of Roscrea where the last hotel was taken out for an IPAS centre. That is absolutely bloody stupid. Whoever made the decision in Dublin, oh my God. Talk about turning community against it, and those people in Roscrea had, in fairness, taken in many people before that. Those are the types of decisions that are ridiculous.

We all know about the use of private facilities and how people are becoming so wealthy out of it. As the Labour Party has said through our strategy - and we are the only party that has published a strategy in relation to migration - we need to have publicly-funded infrastructure. We need to develop it quickly. There are real issues and they have to be dealt with.

We also need to ensure we look at how information is being distributed. We had a fairly significant issue in Roscrea again recently. There was a carjacking. It was automatically assumed that the perpetrator - and I understand somebody is in court, so I will not say anymore – was possibly from the locality. This is going on all the time everywhere around the country. Public representatives in some cases are as bad as everyone else.

As a society, we need to change the narrative and change the dial on this. Will the Minister put in a positive campaign on migration? If he is to take on one suggestion from this House tonight, he might take that on.

I would like to look at how we will integrate into a European plan. If somebody is denied asylum in one country, how do we deal with it here? We have never discussed that fully in this House.

I would like to look at the issue of assessments. Obviously there is the issue in relation to bringing them down but, as regards appeals, how can that be streamlined even further? I believe in quick assessments, once they are done properly. I note the Minister and Government are changing in relation to those in IPAS making a contribution towards their accommodation. In principle, I do not have an issue with this; the problem is the quality of the accommodation in some instances. Would you be asking people to pay for it? I doubt it. Second, this will cost more than it will take in. Is it not symbolic rather than real? Third, we all know you cannot really chase the people involved for the funding, so why do it?

We need a pathway and plan for those who are successful in naturalisation and migration. We should put a plan in place around English and Irish language learning, civics and everything else for those successful in their processing. That whole space has been let go but it is really necessary.

I will conclude by reading something sent to me by a lady in my home town of Nenagh in relation to a club she is a huge member of. I will not name her but it is a club that helps children with autism. She said she has stood with the club and supported it. She recognises that.

I ask you to recognise that within our membership we have autistic children from refugee families and autistic children of immigrants, and that they face complex and multiple struggles in their daily lives.

These children and their families are well aware of the growing racist discourse in public forums. They feel targetted, visible and afraid. They see comments on local Facebook groups, hear people saying the most awful things on programmes [on a radio show I will not mention] that are unavoidable in settings like GP surgery waiting rooms or small businesses. These extremist voices are boosted for being 'click-worthy' or creating debate. Unfortunately, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice have both contributed inflammatory public comments after the attack in Drogheda this week.

I am very privileged to be a white Irish woman in my own country, but as the child of returned emigrants, a returned emigrant myself, and as the wife of an immigrant, I feel the fears of growing xenophobia acutely. As the mother of autistic children, I am deeply concerned how racism affects the families in our club.

My request to you is please to not mistake anti-immigrant noise for the sentiments of the vast majority of Tipperary people, who are generous, kind and tolerant. Most of us recognise that our rural schools and communities have been revived and enriched by newcomers over the past [20] years or so. Please continue to work for the good of our communities as a whole without scapegoating minority groups who are powerless to bring about change. Harm against one of us harms us all.

I was very taken aback by that. The small number of people who are so deeply affected need to be in the forefront of our minds from now on. Second, we need a positive campaign on the benefits of migration.

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