Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader of the House.

I raise the ongoing issue at the Belarusian-Polish border and reports that, on Monday, a young Syrian man was buried who had died in October because of the situation there. The situation is escalating. New sanctions have been imposed on the Lukashenko regime, those linked with that regime and those who are actively participating in the events at the border, with asset freezes, travel bans and so on, but it does not seem as if it is going far enough. It is a worrying situation and we do not see any end in sight.

It would be helpful to have the Minister for Foreign Affairs come to the Chamber at the earliest opportunity to have a discussion on the issue and to outline what steps the Government is taking at a European Union level to address it. The matter is deeply worrying. It is an attack on the European Union and our borders, and it is putting innocent lives at risk. We know that Belarus is actively encouraging migrants to go to the border and try to barge through, knowing full well what is there to meet them on the other side.

I ask that the Polish authorities please treat people as kindly as possible and look after those at the border. There is no reason these people should be left in that situation. At the end of the day, they are human beings. Some level of humanity should be shown and it is not being shown in all respects. I understand the pressure that Poland is dealing with but, at the same time, a young man has lost his life and many others are living in absolute squalor and deprivation. It is atrocious to be standing back and viewing the situation. We have not done enough to try to resolve the matter.

The second issue I raise is Ireland's marine strategy. Mayo, the county where I live, has a long coastline. We have huge untapped resources and potential to develop our marine resources along the coast of Mayo and the entire west coast. We very rarely discuss our marine strategy. We spend a lot of time discussing agriculture but very little time discussing the marine. They come under the same Department but agriculture certainly gets a lot more focus.

I appreciate time is tight before the recess. It would be helpful at some point in the new term to have a discussion on our marine strategy, with a focus on coastal communities and what we can do. I am particularly conscious of the fishing communities that have been hit by the Brexit process and are still struggling with that. I understand and appreciate there is a huge amount of financial support going to those communities. However, we need to have a long-term plan and strategy for maintaining those communities, keeping fishing communities alive and also exploring new opportunities, be that around aquaculture or marine tourism, given there is huge potential. In County Mayo, there are many projects ready to go around marine tourism. I think of Purteen Harbour in Achill and also Killala Bay, where there is lots of potential for marine tourism. It would be great to have an opportunity to meet the Minister in the Chamber to discuss how we can tap into those potential opportunities for Mayo and other coastal communities.