Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)

In the summer of 1988, having graduated from third level, like thousands of others, I boarded a plane at Shannon Airport with a tourist visa and headed to New York city. I worked there for 18 months and later returned to Ireland. Unfortunately, due to Government policies at the time, unemployment was rampant. As I was unable to access employment in Ireland, I secured a job in London, where I spent nine years. I was fortunate enough to be able to come home. I am sure there are many more Irish people across the world who would like to return but they see the housing crisis and the ever-rising cost of living as barriers. We must do more to encourage and help them to come home.

We in Ireland are a very welcoming and open society that treats those fleeing war and persecution compassionately. This is a strength and a measure of our collective humanity. It is strength we cannot afford to lose. The Irish across the centuries have been forced to emigrate. My mother's whole family emigrated. I know the pain of having to say goodbye to loved ones at airport terminals. Like any sovereign state, however, we must manage migration to ensure the process is orderly, rules-based, enforceable and fair. This is something that Government parties have failed to deliver, leaving an immigration process that is an absolute mess. Processing applications and appeals takes too long, deportation orders are not enforced and massive profiteering exists in the provision of inappropriately placed and maintained IPAS centres.

In March 2022, the Taoiseach said that as many as 200,000 refugees could arrive from Ukraine. There was no plan whatsoever to deal with that projected figure, and we struggled to deal with the half of that number who eventually came to Ireland. Approximately €1.2 billion is being spent on IPAS accommodation, with hundreds of millions of more euro for Ukrainian refugees. A small number of people are getting rich from the Government's dysfunctional approach to accommodation. In one year, two directors of Igo Cafe Limited, an accommodation provider, paid themselves €4.6 million. This is a company that has been one of the largest beneficiaries of State contracts.

Between the number of deportation orders signed and the actual numbers of deportation, there is a huge gap. In 2024, there were 2,400 orders with only 156 confirmed deportations. The level of enforcement is not good enough.

The failure of the Government to manage the migration process has led to an erosion of public confidence. This stems from a failure to manage the system but equally a failure to communicate with local communities. This has often being exploited by far-right agitators, often from outside of the State, to spread their fear and message of hate. Their distorted and xenophobic message must always be challenged. Local communities, where they have legitimate concerns, need to be listened to. Our IPAS system must be fair for both our citizens and those seeking international protection. The Ukrainian accommodation recognition payment contributes to the belief that things are not equal.

We need an international protection system that is fit for purpose. It is essential we continue to be a welcoming country. Those who have made Ireland their home contribute enormously to our economy and communities. Those who are granted protection must be welcomed, supported and integrated into our communities.

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