James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for their proposals. These are matters we discussed in length on Committee Stage.

I wish to make two points. The first is that a post-enactment report on the Bill will be prepared in accordance with Standing Orders and laid before the House. This will provide an opportunity to address many of the issues raised.

The second point is that I have requested that a briefing be prepared for Oireachtas Members in respect of several of these issues. I would suggest that looking at issues such as the satisfaction of the State's obligations in respect of international protection applicants, people who have been trafficked and how humanitarian organisations engage with migrants before and after they arrive in the State simply through the lens of smuggling offences is not the best way of going about it. People who are vulnerable and require protection may or may not have been smuggled and may or may not have entered the State irregularly.

While there may be situations where law enforcement will be dealing with smuggled persons in difficult situations, such as where a ship has been intercepted, these are a very limited part of the picture. As the Senator will be aware, there is a breadth of work ongoing in this area. As I have said, the appointment of a national rapporteur, the development of the national referral mechanism and the many other initiatives that are ongoing in tandem to this Bill must be allowed to take root.

The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, this week announced a new public awareness campaign on human trafficking. The key messages it is trying to convey are that human trafficking is a crime that 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 has been undertaken with the support of a number of other State agencies and non-State organisations.

With that in mind, I would like to reassure the Senator of my Department's commitment to the type of inter-agency collaboration between the Department of Justice and NGOs that is being sought through these amendments. Work has also been done on the development of training through NGOs, targeting front-line staff in industries such as hospitality, airline and shipping who may have come into contact with trafficked persons and providing dedicated accommodation for the female victims of sexual exploitation. For the reasons outlined on Committee Stage and today, I am not in a position to accept these amendments.