Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for joining us for this debate and for all of the contributions made thus far. Like Senator Kyne, my own political experience in relation to immigration has had its own challenges. One of the first interactions we experienced in my home county of Mayo was the war in Ukraine and the huge compassion felt across the country and the willingness to help and empathise with those who were fleeing war and terror in their home country. The Irish response to that has been incredible. Like everyone else, I volunteered at the time to send aid such as food and clothes to help Ukrainian people. We also welcomed so many in.

In more recent years, a challenge has emerged and is something I have spoken openly against, which is the circumvention of the planning system which allows the alteration of buildings for international protection accommodation without any planning permission. It is something that I have an issue with and do not agree with. I welcome the move to more public supply of provision. The reason I do not agree with is because of the lack of conversation that has been allowed to be had. As correctly mentioned by previous speakers, the far-left and far-right have shouted down any coherent conversation. It has meant that when any building is disturbed in any village or town, the immediate rumour is that it is for international protection accommodation. This causes consternation and fear among people. It has been taken advantage of by people in the political system and agitators outside the system. It causes such division, splits communities and creates extreme tensions. There needs to be a coherent conversation like this evening's debate to find better ways of managing it. Strong, firm and fair are the words that are often used. We need to be compassionate, but we also need to be strong and fair and not taken advantage of.

In county development plans, we have targets, such as population targets for our towns and villages, which we use when we try to increase housing or zone lands to build houses. Based on that argument, it is only fair that we have a similar metric for international protection accommodation. Towns and villages have finite resources in terms of services and a finite ability to respond to demands like these. They cannot be expected to be overwhelmed by an influx of people. There needs to be a considered conversation on this issue and on the planning exemption in particular.I totally disagree with it because it undermines the whole system we all subscribe to.

Finally, I welcome Councillor Yemi Adenuga to the Public Gallery. I thank her for her work and commitment to public life in her constituency. I sympathise with her on the negative vitriol she has experienced online. While we all experience that in politics, no one has experienced it more than her. I have seen and read about that first hand. Thank you, Yemi, for your bravery and leadership in politics.