Derek McDowell (Labour)

It is a sad fact that people like Deputy O'Flynn are quick to gain political advantage from the unfortunate problems of others. It is clear that the Labour Party wishes to oppose the work of commercial traffickers – people who bring others across continents for significant financial gain – and it supports any measure that will bring an end to their activities. The amendment moved by Senator Tuffy seeks to distinguish between well-organised criminal gangs that engage in the trafficking of hundreds of people across continents and those who may casually pick up a hitchhiker without asking if he or she has a passport. I do not think it is beyond the wit of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to cater for such a distinction by defining commercial vehicles in a clearer manner.

Senator Norris is right to say that this section of the Bill does not apply to the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland. This provision does not arise from a strongly held principle, but from the fact that we have traditionally shared a common travel area with the UK. I do not doubt that the Minister would happily extend the provision to cover Great Britain and Northern Ireland if he could do so.

I am genuinely interested in knowing whether his Department holds statistics about the place of origin of the bulk of asylum seekers and where the majority of incidents of the type catered for in this section of the Bill take place. Perhaps the Minister can supply such details. Do such incidents take place as passengers disembark in Cork or Rosslare from ferries coming from Cherbourg or Roscoff? Do many such incidents occur in Dublin as people arrive from the United Kingdom? Where are applications for asylum made?