Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)

I condemn the horrible attacks that happened on the IPAS centre in Drogheda. I welcome the fact that the Government has done such a U-turn on immigration and its rhetoric. It is quite incredible to be sitting here listening to an immigration debate with comments by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs that they would have been called racist just a year ago. Where was the critical thinking then? Where was the independent thought a year or two years ago? It is amazing to hear Government Members raising concerns and talking about a firm and fair immigration system. This is something we spoke about for a very long time and for which we were condemned by the Government. I am glad that the Tánaiste has made a U-turn and finally allowed some common sense and critical thinking into this debate. It is ironic that the Government is condemning the Social Democrats and the Labour Party for trying to censor debate, which I believe is wrong, which the Government engaged in just a few months ago. It is important that I welcome the Minister of State to the side of common sense, to critical thinking and, indeed, to law and order.

We know the IPAS system has been abused for far too long. That abuse includes applicants coming from the North, which is a safe country, into Ireland. There has been abuse by way of the destruction of travel documents, which the Government has done nothing about because it is incapable even of having a rational discussion on the topic. This is something that could easily have been solved but a discussion on it in the House was refused. The situation of economic migrants using and abusing the IPAS system should have been addressed several years ago. Another abuse is the fact the Government has taken over the last remaining hotel in so many towns and villages. We have deportation orders that are never enforced. In fact, last year, more than 2,500 deportation orders were issued and just over 100, or less than 5%, were enforced. That is the reality but one would not think so from listening to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs this evening. That is not to mention the utter abuse of taxpayers' money associated with the IPAS system. The Comptroller and Auditor General's report outlined a litany of such abuse, including more than €7.5 million wrongly being charged on VAT.

That is the situation over which the Government has presided. I welcome that we are finally moving to a stage where we can actually discuss this topic but it is important for the Government to realise it has created and presided over this chaos. It is crucial that it now implements rational steps that seek to improve the situation and address the chaos over which it has presided.

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