Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

The Senator would be surprised. I intend to adhere to the rubric that the Government as a whole will look at the issue before I enunciate a policy that will have significant ramifications.

Senator Norris raised the issue of €100 million in resources. The asylum seeking phenomenon, 90% of which is not legally sustainable, cost the State €350 million across a number of Departments two years ago. That is a significant sum of money. Although numbers of asylum seekers are falling, there are issues of accommodation, health and education. These decisions are not made on the back of an envelope without regard to the economic consequences. I remind the House that Mr. Ruud Lubbers, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has a budget of three times that for the entire world for the UN effort to help people and to deal with every civil war, famine and conflagration. It may be an argument for giving him more——