James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators. I will speak to amendments Nos. 16 and 17 together because they are closely related. I acknowledged in our discussions in the House last week that there is a fine line between people smuggling and human trafficking. The Senator made some poignant points about the difficulties the most vulnerable people face when seeking safe passage for themselves and their loved ones. I said the following at the time and feel strongly that I must reiterate it now. The issues raised here are more appropriately dealt with in the context of human trafficking discussions. As a result, I cannot accept either of the amendments. In respect of the specific statistics regarding the outcome relating to smuggled persons, I mentioned on the Committee Stage that the Department of Justice publishes detailed statistics on the international protection process. We must also consider the focus of this Bill and the wider measures that are being put in place, such as those announced by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, which will further enhance Ireland's capabilities in protecting those who are victims of people smuggling or human trafficking.

As the Senator will be aware, there is a breadth of work ongoing in this area. As I have said before, the appointment of a national rapporteur, the development of the national referral mechanism and the many other initiatives that are ongoing in tandem with this legislation must be allowed to take root. The Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, just announced a new public awareness campaign on human trafficking. The key message this will convey is that human trafficking is a crime which is happening in Ireland, that traffickers often profit from the misery of their victims in forced employment and that the public needs to be vigilant. The #AnyoneTrafficked 2021 campaign will be rolled out on social media and in key transport hubs across the country until the end of November. It is being undertaken with the support of a number of other State agencies and non-State organisations.

I referred to aspects of the broader work being done on Second Stage and again on Committee Stage. There are many actions being implemented by the Government to address the issues faced by victims of trafficking, not just the national referral mechanism, but also the designation of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission as a national rapporteur and the development of a new action plan on trafficking with legislation to go alongside it. There has also been work on the development of training through NGOs targeting front-line staff and industries such as the hospitality, airline and shipping industries who may have come in contact with trafficked persons and provide dedicated accommodation for female victims of sexual exploitation. There are also improvements being made to the criminal justice system to support victims through the implementation of Supporting a Victim's Journey, the running of a new awareness-raising campaign in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration to build on the success of previous campaigns, an increase in funding for supporting victims of crime generally and increased funding dedicated specifically to supporting the victims of trafficking.

I was also able to confirm to Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan in the Dáil last night that the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy English, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and I have agreed to a review of the atypical working scheme for migrant fishers. The officials already met last week and will be meeting again this week. That will be another important step to ensure that human trafficking in this country is tackled, acknowledging that there may be certain rogue elements abusing the system. The scheme was urgent when it was brought in five years ago but it is now time that it was reviewed. In the circumstances, I cannot agree to the amendment.