Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to outline his policies on this important subject. As with much of the business in the Chamber, Senators are making statements on a policy issue, as distinct from dealing with legislation. It would be preferable if we were to deal with legislation such as the immigration Bill, as it would allow us to focus on precisely what action is required in this area. While Senators can make statements on integration time and again, legislation must be in place if we are to move forward matters.

We all recognise that Ireland is a changed place from the country of 15, ten or even five years ago. We have gone from a country of net emigration, through a period of immigration chaos when the structures of public administration simply could not cope to a point at which the Government has finally appointed a Minister of State with responsibility for integration. This step, while it constitutes a welcome recognition of the importance of integrating new communities, does not, of itself, solve the problem.

The area of integration has been characterised by an absence of good planning, administration and foresight. The increasing volume of migrants did not occur overnight but has been evident in the past five to ten years. The current legislation relating to immigrants is weak. Applications for residency take too long. All Senators receive representations on this issue and the delay in assessing many applications currently stands at up to two years. It appears that making representations does not accelerate the process. The work permit system is unfair, while human trafficking legislation is inadequate, although the latter topic was addressed recently. Driver safety legislation, as it applies to non-Irish driving licence holders, is effectively useless. Moreover, our education system, to which the Minister of State alluded, has been placed under immense strain, not by the children of migrants but by the Government's failure to plan for the inevitable increase in numbers.

While not directly related to the work of the Minister of State, if ever there was an example of bad planning, it is in the area of human trafficking. We know the extent of this problem both globally and in Europe, specifically in the accession countries and other eastern European states where girls and women disappear and are trafficked abroad, including to this country. The practice of trafficking was highlighted by the tragic events in Wexford-Waterford in December 2001, which culminated in the death of eight people trapped inside a freight container.

To date, neither the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking Act) 2000 nor the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 has ever resulted in a successful prosecution for the crime of trafficking, although individuals have been arrested and charged. The problem lies with the current legislative code which is not sufficiently strong to facilitate successful convictions. For this reason, the Fine Gael Party welcomed the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill as a positive step forward, as it will, for the first time, impose strict penalties on those involved in the recruitment, transportation and harbouring of people. However, as my colleague in the Dáil, Deputy Naughten, recently noted, a report by NUI Galway highlighted the case of a woman found by gardaí in a private brothel in Sligo who was brought to Mountjoy Prison, even though she was believed to have been trafficked. She was the only one criminalised in this situation. It is very important that the new Bill will ensure victims are not the only ones to be penalised.

On the issue of education, there are serious difficulties in the integration process. For that reason, the Fine Gael leader, Deputy Enda Kenny, earlier this year called for a national debate on immigration. The growth in multiculturalism within the education system comes at a time when the system is already under pressure, with significant expansion of pupil numbers forecast. The Minister of State referred to the figures on the number of non-nationals in post-primary education and it is estimated there are 31,000 non-national children in the primary school system alone.

As matters stand, there are many teachers, particularly in large urban centres, whose classes include significant numbers of children with language difficulties. The current system for allocating language support teachers is not serving the interests of these children. It provides that schools with 14 non-English-speaking pupils are awarded one language support post and those with 28 or more receive a second, but a third post can only be granted in exceptional circumstances. These rules take no account of the reality that many schools have far more than 28 non-English speaking pupils.

The system is not serving the interests of either our immigrants or our own population and needs to be changed. As a first step, the allocation of language support resources must be revamped so that schools with higher demands receive proportionate and appropriate support. A national audit must be carried out to find the true extent of this problem and to establish whether other measures, such as providing additional language support outside normal school hours, are needed and what additional teaching resources are required.

Tackling deficiencies in adult literacy is a key challenge for the education system in general. Ten years ago, it was estimated that over half a million Irish adults needed help but just 35,500 people have benefited from adult literacy programmes since then. There is evidence that over a quarter of those who have undertaken these courses were from non-English-speaking backgrounds and did so in order to improve their knowledge of English. These programmes were not designed as language classes and should be targeted at people with literacy problems rather than those with fluency problems. We need to develop dedicated English language classes for adult immigrants that are focussed on their needs.

On driver safety, we are aware of the efforts to improve safety on our roads and reduce the carnage that causes so much difficulty to so many families. One of the cornerstones in the battle to reduce road fatalities is the introduction and enforcement of the penalty points system. However, as migrants from other EU countries are not required to transfer their driving licences, penalty points cannot be applied to their licences. It is disturbing that 20% of the penalty points which should have resulted from offences detected by the Garda could not be applied, in many cases because of this loophole. It also means that the deterrent effect of the penalty points system is not applying to a proportion of the driving population.

This was recently highlighted by Mr. Petkus, a court translator from Lithuania, based in Mayo, who has appeared in the media in recent weeks on the issue. He pointed out that more and more foreign nationals are becoming involved in accidents on the roads of Ireland and, in most cases, they are not insured properly or their cars are not roadworthy. It is in the interest of our community that this issue is addressed.

I have only touched on some of the issues surrounding integration. I welcome the fact the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, has come to the House to debate the issue. I hope the debate will encourage him to address some of the specific issues highlighted. While he has pointed to many studies, task forces and action plans which have been drawn up, it is not readily apparent how an immigrant is being assisted when he lands on these shores. I would ask the Minister of State to respond on this issue when concluding the debate.