Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

Ireland's population has been growing significantly. That is just a fact. Saying that does not mean we are inciting anything. We are not. It has been positive. My view is that since 1845 our population was in decline, right up to the 1980s nearly. It has been a transformative story from the early 1990s to the current day. That is a positive in my view. Even at that, the island is not back to the pre-Famine population status in terms of statistics and so on. It is an interesting perspective. In the past ten to 15 years, however, there has been very significant growth and that has created pressure on a whole load of services. I think the more legal pathways we create, the better for society and for our economy and so forth.

I am concerned. In terms of a campaign, a national policy is now being developed in respect of migration to update where we have come from. As part of that, there will be a communicative programme in terms of the importance of tolerance, inclusion and diversity and, above all, of explaining the phenomenon of migration and the benefits that have accrued to Irish society as manifested in our health service, in our education system, in services more generally and in our economy.

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