Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, will no doubt agree that events on the Mediterranean are a terrible reflection on the European Union and the West in general. Aside from the destruction being caused in the countries from which people are fleeing, it is a mark of the terrible hardships they face that they are fleeing across the Mediterranean which is, by all accounts, an incredibly dangerous waterway. This year alone, more than 400 refugees have drowned making the crossing. The European Union, under pressure from countries such as Britain, stopped the Mare Nostrum project which rescued more than 100,000 people in the year before it was discontinued in October last. That this has been done in response to the argument that the project was encouraging immigrants to come to Europe is frightening. We have decided to allow a few refugees to drown to see if it will put people off making the journey in the future. Instead of spending €9 million per month in addressing the problem on the Mediterranean, the budget for the Mare Nostrum project has been cut by one third. The European Union has admitted that the main focus of the new Triton mission is border control as opposed to helping people at sea.

This terrible tragedy did not fall out of the sky. Libya is the foremost country from which people are fleeing. More than three years ago, with other Deputies on this side, I argued against the madness of allowing NATO to bomb Libya. As a result of the NATO bombing raids, the death toll in the Libyan conflict increased from 2,000 to 30,000 within six months. The British Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, who is partly responsible for the decision to stop the Mare Nostrum service was one of the leading lights in the group of countries angling to invade Libya at the time. He and the then French President, Mr. Sarkozy, did so to boost their popularity before abandoning the country once the damage had been done.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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There is no doubt that a massive humanitarian crisis is unfolding, with thousands of people who are being exploited by smugglers and fleeing in desperation from the appalling circumstances into which they have been thrown being left to die. It is not an overstatement to say the European Union, in its latest stance on this issue, is responsible for murder. As Deputy Mick Wallace said, more than 400 people have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this year, which is frightening. This is as a result of the cancellation of the Mare Nostrum programme and its replacement with securing maritime borders. The issue is not about rescuing people; it is about putting up the shutters and ensuring they do not get in. It was a deliberate shift in policy. The Northern League spoke out stating people should be left on their boats, while the British Foreign Minister said this was an unintended pull factor and that if the refugees were getting into Europe and not drowning, it would encourage more of them to cross, which is ridiculous.

The reality is that the appalling circumstance from which people are fleeing will continue to give rise to their efforts to escape. One Syrian refugee living in Cairo who used to be a highly skilled and well paid worker says they have no other option. There is no hope and he cannot even find work as a labourer in Egypt. He had to flee his flat because he could not even pay the rent.

The European Union is responsible for this because of its response and because of the role it played in facilitating the US war machine in these regions which have become destabilised and given rise to the refugees in the first place. What attitude did Ireland take in the EU talks to encourage the axing of the Mare Nostrum programme and the reduction in funds to support the Italian Government in the rescue operation? Critically, what is the Minister of State's attitude to Ireland's continuing facilitation of the US war machine and the destabilisation of countries in the Middle East and Africa by allowing our airports to be used for the transit of US military aeroplanes and troops?

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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The Government shares the concerns of the Deputies about the ongoing human tragedy on the Mediterranean. At EU level, since the more than 300 migrants drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa in October 2013, this issue has appeared on the agenda at almost every Justice and Home Affairs Council and was a major priority of the Italian Presidency. We should never forget that this is essentially an issue of enormous human tragedy.

Deputies will appreciate that notwithstanding the complexities of the issues, the human tragedy dimension must never be relegated to a less important issue. Huge numbers of people are willing or, in some cases, forced to take major life threatening risks to reach Europe. In many cases, this is driven by the desperate need to escape the situation in their own country, for example, Syria. Allied to this is the major financial incentive this traffic provides for ruthless criminal gangs to engage in smuggling and trafficking and for whom life is cheap and migrant safety an irrelevant consideration. The vessels used to transport migrants are, in many cases, unseaworthy or otherwise ill-equipped to undertake a voyage in adverse weather. These factors are further compounded by the unstable situation in Libya, the main country of transit and embarkation point for the vessels.

The Mare Nostrum search and rescue operation which had rescued well in excess of 100,000 people was discontinued with effect from last November by the Italian authorities on the commencement of Operation Triton co-ordinated by Frontex, the European external borders agency, although the mandates and range are not the same. However, I understand that in recent days the vessels and aeroplanes involved in Operation Triton have helped to save more than 3,000 migrants who departed from Libya. The journey for other migrants has sadly ended in a different way. Even when people are rescued, issues arise as to how they are to be dealt with within member states' asylum systems and there are considerable pressures on member states in the Mediterranean region in whose territory the migrants land.

The focus of EU policy in this area has been multidimensional, reflecting the fact that a migrant's ultimate journey by sea to the European Union can be influenced by many factors. Therefore, the response highlighted actions, in co-operation with third countries, including regional protection; resettlement and reinforced legal avenues to Europe; the fight against trafficking, smuggling and organised crime; reinforced border surveillance contributing to the saving of lives of migrants on the Mediterranean and assistance to member states on the front line. Greater funding from Frontex is also important.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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At this stage, a number of measures are needed and the Government should be pushing for them in the European Union. First, a better rescue service needs to be reinstated. The numbers crossing the sea from Libya and other countries have increased this year by more than 50%. The argument that cutting the rescue service would prevent refugees from travelling is not working and the European Union has a responsibility, given that western powers are largely responsible for the problems of the people concerned in the first place.

Second, a more coherent EU immigration policy is needed. It is challenging and not easy, but there must be a more coherent policy at EU level, for which the Government should push.

Third, we all argue in the House for greater accountability on the part of all Departments and officials. The bombing of Libya has been an unmitigated disaster. Ministers came into the House and told us that it was a good idea, that it was in the interests of democracy and that it would improve the situation in Libya. That was been proved to be 100% wrong. Will the same Ministers who supported the bombing of Libya come into the House and admit that they got it 100% wrong?

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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Our starting point has to be the fact that these tragic deaths are avoidable and that the proof of this was in the activities of Mare Nostrum when it was in operational, as it had succeeded in saving the lives of more than 100,000 people. While people have been rescued since the programme was terminated, funding has been cut back and the terms of the replacement operation have changed, with the result that record numbers have died in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year.

We still do not have answers. The Minister of State concluded his reply by saying, "Greater funding from Frontex is also important." What role did the Government play in the negotiations and the funding arrangements that led to the move away from a rescue operation to a border control operation? Were we silent? Did we side with the refugees or with those who were trying to keep them out?

The other critical issue is the destabilising fact that this is the largest movement of refugees since the Second World War, which is linked with the crises in the Middle East and Africa, stirred up by imperialist intervention. We cannot change the world, but we can make a start in our own backyard. Will we say "No" to this and stop the use of Shannon Airport and our role in that regard?

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I thank the Deputies. There are no easy answers. Nobody can guarantee that there will be no further deaths. As long as people set out on these hazardous voyages, that will be inevitable, in spite of the best efforts of everybody involved in maritime missions. It is a case of working together within the European Union on both cause and effect. The contribution Ireland can make, apart from its support for EU initiatives in the area generally, is primarily humanitarian, with particular reference to Syria. We are one of the highest contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capitabasis. Since 2011 Ireland has provided almost €29 million in humanitarian support delivered through UN partners, the Red Cross and Irish NGOs. Ireland's support has been focused on supporting people displaced within Syria and across the wider region. This includes the regional development and protection programme, under which Ireland is committed to providing €2.5 million through an initiative being co-led by the European Commission and Denmark to support refugees and host communities affected by the ongoing Syrian crisis. Ireland is also one of the countries that provide for the resettlement of refugees, with a commitment to resettle 220 in the next two years. I have met many of them, particularly in Balseskin. A further 114 will be taken in under the Syrian humanitarian assistance programme, SHAP.