Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will not need five minutes. I just want to say a few words on an important Bill. I congratulate my colleagues in the Labour Party for bringing it forward. I am genuinely surprised at the Minister of State. I have had dealings with him and found him to be an honourable man. I am surprised that he will not work with us on facilitating this Bill. Unfortunately, it is not the first time recently that we have seen Fine Gael isolated on a topic like this. It is significant that there is broad cross-party support and support among Independents for this issue. I am shocked.

According to the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI, whose representatives I welcome to the Gallery, there are currently between 2,000 and 5,000 children with no status in this country. Where is the humanity in that? I remember the 2004 referendum. Senator Lawless spoke particularly well on the matter earlier; I was watching the debate from my office. It was basically a racist referendum. Let us call it for what it was. In fairness, it was a blip because this country has a good record. Thankfully we have not got extremist, far-right politics here at this time. Only last week, however, I saw Fine Gael's sister party in Hungary, Fidesz, practising far-right politics, locking up children in cages. It is in the same European parliamentary group as Fine Gael. It is absolutely shocking.

What signal does Ireland send in terms of decency and humanity if we turn our backs on these children? What is the danger? In the short time I have been a Member of this House, I have always found that the responses from the Department of Justice and Equality in particular to be so deeply conservative. They are so firmly on the side of not giving an inch, regardless of humanity. All of us know that the idea of leaving it to ministerial discretion is just not good enough. If we believe in being a proper republic of opportunity and equality, how can it be left to a Minister's discretion whether a child can remains in the country and has rights like the rest of his or her classmates? It is absolutely appalling. I ask the Minister of State to think again.

This is not the side of history he wants to be on. This is not the side of right. I had some sympathy for the Minister of State's party colleague, Senator Conway, when he was speaking earlier. I could see that his heart was not in it and that he could not understand why Fine Gael is not supporting the Bill. The message the Minister of State will send this evening if he continues to oppose it is that he and his Government are turning their backs on these children. I am shocked because that is not where politics should ever be at. It will be embarrassing for Ireland if we do not pursue this law. If it is not perfect, then it should be amended on Committee Stage. All of us across the Seanad apart from Fine Gael are asking the Government to work with this law to make a better republic and to assist these children, who are the real victims. This is completely unnecessary. There is no threat posed to the State by enacting this law. It is a really sad day. I mean it well when I say the Minister of State is better than this. I urge him to listen again and think again.