Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)

In light of today's motion, I asked my friend and colleague, Councillor Yemi Adenuga, to attend as a guest. I am looking forward to hearing what Councillor Adenuga thinks of this debate. Who better is there to discuss today's motion than someone who has gone through the process and has remained here in Ireland to raise her family? Councillor Adenuga is Ireland's first elected black female public representative and Meath County Council's first migrant councillor. She ran in the local elections in May 2019 and was elected as a Fine Gael Councillor, representing the Navan municipal district. She ran again in 2024 and retained her seat, which is always hard to do. She has been setting precedents for inclusion in Irish politics ever since. She has earned a degree in business studies, an MBA and a postgraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship from UCD. She has been at the forefront of anti-racism efforts and, unfortunately, has also been at the forefront as a target of racism. In 2020, she successfully proposed that Meath County Council become the first local authority in Ireland to fund anti-racism education and she has consistently campaigned for hate-crime legislation and stronger equality frameworks.

Councillor Adenuga is a woman who knows what life as a migrant is like in Ireland and the process to get here. As one can appreciate, she has a few things to say on this motion. Along with our Fine Gael colleagues, she welcomes this motion. Where the motion states "require international protection applicants to contribute towards their accommodation costs", questions arise, such as how long would they have after coming into the country before they begin to contribute and what happens in a situation where they do not begin work immediately. Some may have to learn English. Some may be traumatised by where they have come from. I welcome Councillor Adenuga speaking on those issues.

Councillor Adenuga also raised points relating to the gathering of migrant people, the concept of belonging in Ireland and what that looks like. I welcome that the motion refers to the need to highlight "the social and economic benefits of migration to counter anti-immigration sentiments". One in four of our healthcare workers are non-Irish. We have 60,000 non-EU students coming to our universities annually. These international citizens are not strangers. They are our neighbours and classmates, and will probably be our caregivers. Many now report fearing for their safety in public spaces.

This morning, I brought a Commencement matter to the Seanad asking the Minister for communications to tackle social media companies to ensure they protect us, our youth and our children online. I ask that the people who are coming into our country and working in jobs that we could not fill also be protected. I am glad that the European Commission has commenced a range of investigations into various platforms for potential breaches of their regulatory obligations, including around harmful content, dark patterns and other matters. Just last week, Commissioner McGrath announced details of the EU democracy shield, which includes the establishment of a European centre for democratic resilience. We need to learn more about disinformation in order to better counter it. It is to be welcomed that, in line with the programme for Government, some €1.1 million in funding was announced in budget 2026 to support media literacy, fact-checking and research initiatives. I welcome that new domestic legislation will be enacted in 2026, as I feel each country is different. This will provide for faster processing of applications, stronger border security and a more efficient returns system.

Communication and education are key. This motion includes what we have included in our programme for Government. It is about informing people correctly and on time about what is happening in the towns, villages and cities of Ireland when it comes to migration and international protection.