Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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33. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the involvement of members of the Defence Forces, including members of the Naval Service, in the training of the Libyan coast guard in conjunction with the European Union’s Operation Sophia; the details of the training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44038/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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50. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views on the participation of the Defence Forces in Operation Sophia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43974/17]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Operation Pontus, the search and rescue mission, was established as a humanitarian mission with the primary focus being on saving lives. Wonderful work was done and almost 16,000 lives were saved in the Mediterranean. The recent Dáil motion to bring Operation Pontus within the remit of Operation Sophia was a terrible development. The day before the motion was considered, a House of Lords inquiry in the United Kingdom concluded that Operation Sophia had failed in its mandate to disrupt the business people who were smuggling in the Mediterranean and had resulted in more deaths at sea of refugees and migrants. We raised this issue before the vote, but nevertheless so many in the Chamber voted in favour of the motion. How can we stand over it, given that we were doing such good work before?

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I am surprised that the Deputy read a House of Lords report. I did not think he would be into it.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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We would fit in well.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I understand. I did not think reports from the House of Lords had reached Wellingtonbridge, County Wexford.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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It was in Bree.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 50 together.

The EU Common Security and Defence Policy naval operation EUNAVFOR MED (Operation Sophia), against human smugglers and traffickers, is one element of a comprehensive approach to addressing the migration crisis in the South Central Mediterranean. Operation Sophia was launched in June 2015 as part of the EU’s broader action to provide a comprehensive response to the global migration and refugee crisis and to encourage a democratic, stable and prosperous Libya. It specifically seeks to counter human trafficking and smuggling in the Southern Central Mediterranean by taking action against the criminal networks and disrupting the smugglers business model. The mission is also providing capacity building and training to the Libyan Coastguard and Navy and contributing to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2292. UNSCR No. 2292 imposes an arms embargo on Libya in an effort to prevent the flow of illicit arms and related material into that country.

The deployment of Irish Naval vessels to the Mediterranean over the last three years to engage in humanitarian search and rescue tasks has been an important element in Ireland's response to the migration crisis in the Mediterranean. Overall, 17,509 migrants have been rescued since Irish Naval Service vessels were first deployed in the Mediterranean in May 2015 as part of Operation Pontus.

In July 2017, I secured Government and Dáil approval for the deployment of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force to serve as part of Operation Sophia. On 6 October last, LÉ Niamhand crew departed Haulbowline to join the EU naval mission and the naval vessel arrives in the area of operation this week. The specific tasks assigned to naval vessels by the Operation Sophia Force Commander will depend on the operational requirements in the Mediterranean area at any given time. As LÉ Niamhhas only arrived in the region, it has not yet been tasked with any operational task. In accordance with the mandate for the mission, the Naval Service could be involved in surveillance and intelligence gathering operations, search and rescue operations and disposal of migrant boats and Force Protection Operations. A number of national caveats have been formally declared by Ireland and accepted by EU naval mission headquarters. In this regard, Ireland will only participate in those aspects of Operation Sophia which are authorised in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions.

The training being provided to the Libyan navy and coastguard as part of Operation Sophia aims to improve the security of Libyan territorial waters, to enhance the capability of the Libyan navy and coastguard in law enforcement at sea and to improve their ability to perform search and rescue activities to save lives in Libyan territorial waters. Up to September 2017, a total of 136 Libyan personnel have completed training, comprising mainly basic training delivered at sea by Italy.

Operation Sophia has so far contributed to the apprehension of 117 suspected smugglers and traffickers, removed approximately 480 boats from criminal organisations availability, contributed to 268 Safety Of Life at Sea events and most importantly, saved the lives of over 40,000 migrants.

As this is the first time that a Naval Service ship will be deployed in a Common Security and Defence Policy Operation, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Naval Service well on what is a new and challenging role for them.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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The International Organisation for Migration claims that it has rescued thousands of refugees this year. The Minister has claimed this as well. It is not true. Rescue ends with people being in a safe place. This process is pulling people back to a place of violence and human rights violations from which they have fled. It is horrendous that Ireland would play a part in this. Recently, in an open letter to EU leaders, Dr. Joanne Liu from Médecins Sans Frontière, said that, "The detention of migrants and refugees in Libya is rotten to the core. It must be named for what it is - a thriving enterprise of kidnapping, torture and extortion". She says that, "The reduced numbers of people leaving Libyan shores has been lauded by some as a success in preventing loss of life at sea and smashing smugglers' networks". Nothing could be further from the truth. This is totally disingenuous. She continues: "At best it is pure hypocrisy, and at worst a cynical complicity in the organised business of reducing human beings to merchandise".

This is not what we were doing before. Sending people back to Libya is like sending them to their death. This is not rescuing people any more. We are sending them back to die.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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Some 56 Irish men and women have been sent on the LÉ Niamhto take part in Operation Sophia, along with the disgraced Libyan coastguard. This coastguard's purpose is really to wage war on refugees trying to get to Europe. Let us be clear about this. It is not correct to call the Libyan coastguard by that name. Much of it is made up of militias which have appointed themselves to patrol the seas. They have created their own crests, dreamt up their own military ranks and called themselves the Libyan coastguard before setting off for the Mediterranean. Working with militias dressed up as coastguards to push back migrants to rape and torture in Libya, the fact of which is well known, is something that we have a problem with. There are strong documented suspicions that the so-called coastguard is itself bound up in the business operations of traffickers and smugglers that Operation Sophia has, we are told, been set up to combat. One could not make this stuff up. The Defence Forces of Ireland, a neutral country, is participating in such an alliance. This will come back to haunt us.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Operation Sofia, like Operation Pontus, allows us to bring migrants to the coast of Italy. We have the authorisation and permission of the Italian authorities to bring any migrants picked up in Operation Sophia there. This is a UN mandated mission. The Naval Service has yet to be given full operation tasks involving the rescuing of people. People have been brought safely to port or transferred to another vessel from where they would be taken to a safe port. The ports of embarkment for migrants rescued by Operation Sophia are in Sicily. Operation Sophia specifically seeks to counter human trafficking and smuggling in the southern and central Mediterranean by taking action against the criminal networks and disrupting the smugglers' business model. By improving maritime security, Operation Sophia is actively contributing to the EU and international efforts for the return of stability in Libya. The EU strategic review of Operation Sophia, published earlier this year, has determined that despite the complexity of the situation existing common security and defence policy activity is starting to deliver some tangible results and remains a visible and prominent symbol of the EU political intent towards Libya and the region. Operation Sophia has so far contributed to the apprehension of 117 suspected smugglers and traffickers, removed approximately 400 boats from criminal organisations, contributed to almost 270 safety of life at sea events and rescued over 40,000 migrants to date. According to the International Organisation for Migration, the statistics to 21 September show that 16,566 have been rescued in the Libyan waters in 2017 alone. I do not want migrants to be leaving the Libyan coast. Thousands of these people are being drowned because they are leaving the coastline of Libya, with no one in charge of their welfare.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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No one wants to see these people drown, but we do not want them to return to Libya either to be punished or killed. Operation Sophia does involve returning these people to Libya. The EU is boasting about the fact that the numbers crossing the Mediterranean are shrinking. The Minister said that Operation Sophia can bring these migrants to Italy. That is true, but unfortunately huge numbers of migrants are being returned. Why did Médecins Sans Frontière stop working on Operation Sophia? It has washed its hands of it because of what is happening. It is ashamed.

The Minister said that this is a UN mandated mission. He is correct, but shame on the UN for mandating this. This is not what should be happening. Europe is putting its energies into building barriers to prevent people from coming in. We have caused the destruction and supported bombing campaigns by the Americans and others. Over 60 million people have been displaced worldwide. Only a fraction of these get to mainland Europe. We are now preventing them from crossing, sending them back to Libya, and we think we are doing good work.

It is horrific.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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It is very well known that returning migrants to Libya is condemning them to indefinite detention in what are essentially concentration camps, torture, rape and human trafficking. The International Criminal Court began gathering evidence in May regarding the treatment of migrants in Libya and the violent attacks on them and the NGOs working to rescue them in this region involving the very people we have now aligned ourselves with - the misnamed Libyan coastguard. In the words of human rights specialist Nora Mackard, "the European Union and the German government are of course aware of the situation in Libya [...] by providing support they are also responsible and make themselves liable." This opens up at least the possibility that by participating in Operation Sophia, Ireland might find itself part of a future investigation by the International Criminal Court or somebody else into criminal breaches of international law by the Libyan coastguard. We have travelled a very long way from the founding days of our neutrality.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I respect both Deputies' views but I do not accept them. There is no issue with that. I disagree with some of their points. I see and hear at first hand from members of the Irish Naval Service who tell me of thousands of men, women and children losing their lives because they are being disembarked on the Libyan coastline in unsafe vessels which go out maybe a couple of miles and sink and there is nobody there to rescue and assist the people. That is totally wrong. We are stopping the smuggling of migrants by apprehending some of the people who are bringing in unsafe vessels to the Libyan coastline. This is a fully UN-mandated mission. We have participated in CSDP operations over a long number of years. This received Government and Dáil approval under the triple lock. Libyan coastguard training is a positive move towards capacity building by the EU mission. It is the fastest way to reduce irregular migrant flows and intercept smugglers' inside territorial waters. I believe this operation is working and we have made the right decision. It is one of the reasons I brought the memorandum to Government. I believe this is the correct course of action.