Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is welcome to the House. It is an opportune debate and it is important that all present are of one voice - a welcome voice. None of us can imagine the hardship faced by people who have to leave their country and everyone and everything they have ever known. We must breathe all that in. They did not choose to come here; they had to flee here for assistance, accommodation and the right to exist. It is a mammoth task and a significant ask for the Government.

The number of people who have come here, at 75,000 people, is nearly equivalent to the population of Dundalk and Drogheda. It is not surprising that we are experiencing capacity difficulties. It is now about how we deal with those difficulties. The Minister has been working on this and trying to pull out all the stops, whether that be repurposing office blocks or upgrading any other sort of accommodation that can be upgraded and made fit for purpose to house people.

It is important, right and just that we look after people who are fleeing war and conflict. There are plenty of examples in our history of Irish people fleeing this country, such as the Flight of the Earls. In the Flight of the Wild Geese, 12,000 Irish Jacobite soldiers left this country and fled to safety in Europe.In those days 12,000 people was a great many people. We have been doing this for 700 or 800 years. That was the 17th century. We have to think about that and that mentality. Other countries looked after us and gave us opportunities. Now we are doing the same.

My ask is to have the opportunity to speak to the Minister. He has inherited yet another difficulty in the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, system. Those difficulties in the system were there long before this Government was established, going back decades. It has been under-resourced, there have been delays in at and there have been difficulties, so it is not surprising that there are backlogs. We need to make sure that the new IPAS policy deals with applications in a way that is swift, fair and just and ensures that people who are entitled to be here are here. Economic migrants coming to the country should also be given an opportunity just as Irish economic migrants were given opportunities in other countries. They should be provided with a system that is welcoming, to get them into the labour market as quickly as possible. I was at a meeting earlier with IBEC at which it was mentioned that one in five of our workforce is non-Irish. That is incredible. We have the most diverse workforce in Europe. That is something to be proud of. We know how strong and buoyant our economy is. Why is it strong and buoyant? Why is it better? Is it because we have that diversity built into it?

My next ask is not just for the Minister’s Department. We all know that this is a cross-departmental matter. It is important that we have infrastructure in place. I ask that local authorities be given supports such as liaison officers who could go into each community as a point person. Local sports partnerships should be given supports that they currently are not getting. The link person is not there. There are many migrants in Dundalk and a great many sports clubs, but no link-ups. If we raise up and support one part of our community, the reality is that we are supporting everyone. If we bring 500 refugees into Dundalk, what benefits will Dundalk get from having those 500 refugees? What is the Government going to do? If it supports local clubs and local authorities and encourages employability and education and training boards, the communities will put their hands up. Dundalk has received so much. There is a net gain from welcoming people, supporting people and being a welcoming place. I genuinely believe we need a person to perform this function. Two weeks ago, the Minister’s party colleague announced a guide for inclusive community engagement in local planning and decision-making. It is a good framework and a really good start but I would love to see this in statute. It has to be done so that it is not just a question of guidelines. People need to be brought in. Every local authority should have a point person to go to. There are supports on the ground. It is the ground that makes the home.