Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate what the Minister said. I acknowledge the work his Department has done in integration and in accommodating people who have come here fleeing situations. I also recognise what he said about funds. He also said that it is not any one Department's responsibility. This is, of course, true. As I look at the students from the Loreto school in Dalkey sitting in the Public Gallery here, though, I wonder what we are doing to educate children in this regard? What are we doing in terms of the national anti-racism action plan? I appreciate this is coming to the Cabinet now and that is great, but what in that action plan is going to provide for education for people so that we start at the very beginning to show people where things lie? I say this because the real danger, as things stand, when we look at what happened in Ashtown, for example, is that we are allowing a them-and-us situation to evolve, where Irish people, mar dhea, are being pitched against people who are not Irish. This is really dangerous and really damaging. The thing many of us do not understand is that sometimes people who are ethnically different are accused of playing the race card, as it is called. They never want to do that. They just want to live their lives and be part of our community and if we had any sense we would realise that we gain enormous benefit from their being part of this community. Let us, therefore, do everything we can to ensure they can play that role.