Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Today is World Refugee Day and all of us in this House should reflect on what exactly this means. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, yesterday released its annual global trends report which found that 70.8 million children, women and men were forcibly displaced at the end of 2018, the highest number in the agency’s almost 70-year history. This is twice as many people as 20 years ago and 2.3 million higher than 2017’s figures. It is deeply worrying that this global figure of refugees is likely to be an underestimate.

Today the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, issued a strong statement calling again for changes to be made to the International Protection Act 2015 which are in line with my International Protection (Family Reunification) (Amendment) Bill. The commission stated that it "has criticised the narrowing of access to family reunification for people granted international protection" under changes to the legislation made in 2015. The commission also stated that "the removal of the right of international protection beneficiaries to apply for family reunification with extended family members under the International Protection Act 2015 and the introduction of a statutory time limit for applications constitutes retrogressive measures".

The International Protection (Family Reunification) (Amendment) Bill, which I introduced in July 2017, passed all Stages in the Seanad on 7 March 2018. It passed Dáil Second Stage on 13 December 2018 with a huge majority of 78 in favour to 39 opposed. On 6 February 2019, the Bill was received for detailed scrutiny by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality. The committee report is pending and still awaiting the Minister for Justice and Equality's observations. The report is expected to be supportive of my Bill.

This Bill has been consistently backed by majorities in both Houses but blocked by the Government with the threat of a money message. While we await this legislation, families cannot reunite with their vulnerable family members who are still living in dangerous places. These are families like that of Lilav Mohamed in Clones, Izzeddeen Alkarajeh in Cork, the Sido family in Navan and many others whose names we do not know. It is really time for the Minister and the Department to engage on this. They should listen to IHREC, both Houses of the Oireachtas and the desperate families who have already suffered more than any of us can possibly imagine.

I request that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, come into this House to outline his position on the concept of family reunification, my Bill and the IHREC’s call today. I want to hear his response to the global refugee crisis.

Ireland has an opportunity to revert to a tried and tested, humane system of family reunification, which worked. This House and the other House of the Oireachtas voted for this. Ireland can and must play its part to help alleviate the traumas of the record numbers of refugees who are fleeing crises and conflicts to the safety of Ireland.