Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I join others in expressing outright condemnation of the horrible scene we saw in Drogheda the other night. I did not realise until yesterday morning that there was actually footage of it online. How disgusting to see someone bring a flammable liquid into the hallway of that premises, pour it up along the stairway and set it on fire, putting the lives of children upstairs at risk. It is disgusting and I hope when that person is identified and brought before the court system, he will not be tried for manslaughter or an arson attack or anything like that. He should be tried for attempted murder as that is what it was on the night.

I have been 21 years in politics and on Monday evening I had a first. I was hosting a local advice clinic in my community along with Councillor Rachel Hartigan, who is in the Public Gallery this evening. It was the first time ever that we had nine people from a certain ethnic community come to a clinic and say they fear for themselves and the community they live in. I had never heard that before. I have had people come to clinics to talk about the taxation of cars, medical cards and housing but I had never heard a group of people say they live in fear in the community that is their home. That is very worrying.

It is really important that our international protection system is both fair and robust. If you have come from a situation in a country where there is war, persecution or famine and your life is at risk, you should come to Ireland with dignity, respect and knowing this country will care for you, listen to your case and how worthwhile it is, and protect you during that period. If you have come here for economic reasons, told lies, with false documentation or have destroyed your documentation after you have come through the port or airport, you have totally flouted all of the rules of international protection and you should be deported.

I commend the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. What I have seen in him is more guts, courage and conviction than in many of his predecessors because what we are seeing is deportation happening in real time. There is not just talk about it; it is happening. I also welcomed his suggestion during the week that if someone is staying in an accommodation centre and earning a salary, which people are allowed to do after a six- or eight-week period, they should rightly be paying for that because every other person in this country, be they accommodated in emergency accommodation, social housing or any form of accommodation, pays a contribution that is appropriate and equal to what they are able to pay.

There is a certain cohort that is coming to our country seeking work. They should be coming here through the work visa system. We do need people with critical skills and that was laid bare yesterday in a Government report. We will need people from other countries to come here to fill our workforce and provide critical skills, but if people are coming here and saying there is a war in their country when they are in fact here for economic reasons, that is flouting the system.

It is really important that towns like Lisdoonvarna which have played a disproportionate role are reflected on during the next phase of planning. Lisdoonvarna in County Clare, more than any town in Ireland, has played a role. Its population has increased fourfold during the past two and a half years and yet the Government and agencies of the Government did not backfill that with fourfold support. It is also important to note that schools very quickly played a major supporting role and welcomed young children into their classrooms, but now as those children have moved on to other accommodation centres, those schools are being told by the Minister for education that their enrolment on 30 September dropped by two or three pupils so a teacher will be taken from them. We should show the same good spirit to those schools that they showed to the little children who arrived at their front door because it has to work both ways.

We need to have scrutiny on how centres are managed. It is built into their contracts that there should be good food and transport but also 24-7 security. That is not being fulfilled in a lot of centres. If the Government is paying good taxpayers' money, it should certainly have some oversight of how it is being spent.

I have faith in the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I look forward to his Bill being progressed in due course.

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