Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I will not keep going on.

I disagree with the Senator. There are a lot of funds available for us to apply to. We are now a net contributor to the EU. Let us consider the benefits we get out of it as well. Our economy has been transformed from being a member of the Single Market and the EU. The reason all of these businesses are coming here is we have access to the EU. We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where we go back to the 1950s where we stood alone bravely but it was not a great time financially for our people.

I agree with what Senator Gallagher said about no man being an island. We have to be aligned with others. That is an important emphasis.

Senator Ryan raised the interesting the point about opting-in under Articles 3 or 4. There are advantages to either. The advantage of opting-in under Article 3 is that we have an opportunity to try to influence the negotiations for the package. If we go in under Article 4, we just get the package and that is it. We either vote for it or we do not. There are benefits in respect of both. Sometimes an Article 4 opt-in may be preferable, but certainly here there is a big benefit in us going in under Article 3. Similarly, the Senator mentioned the migration pact. Deputy Carthy said we should not have opted-in to the migration pact. We have to follow through what the consequence of that is. If we did not opt in to the migration pact, we would still be bound by the regulations and directives from the earlier part of this century that dealt with international protection or refugee applications as they were described at that stage.Not opting into the migration pact does not solve anything for us, as the position of the UK shows. There is a real advantage in harmonising and speeding up asylum applications across the European Union. Come 12 June next, in the aftermath of that, we will see an efficiency in the system and how it operates.

Senator Ryan also mentioned the issue about the weakening of encryption. That is a very interesting point. There are a lot of people who object to the European Union and Magnus Brunner trying to introduce a directive that would permit access to encrypted messages. The main reason Commissioner Brunner wants this is that he is trying to get agreement on a child sexual abuse regulation. The Senator may know this but I am presuming she does not because it is an issue I discuss out in Europe. There is huge opposition to it coming from certain countries in the European Union and from certain privacy campaigners who say they do not want it because they say it will weaken encryption and it is an interference in their privacy. I know that the Senator and every other Member of this House see nothing wrong in seeking to access information if we are going to be able to use it for the purpose of removing child sexual abuse material.

I listened carefully to Senator Sarah O'Reilly. My understanding on the designation of Ireland is that we are presently at risk of migratory pressure. I hear what she said in respect of other EU countries. Whether we like it or not, immigration and forced movement of people is a very significant part of life in the beginning of the 21th century. People moving around the world is going to be one of the defining characteristics of the first half of the 21th century. The idea that we are just going to be able to establish a situation where nobody wants to come, is not going to happen. If we have crashed the economy and have a disastrous economy, nobody will want to come but in general people want to come into successful and wealthy countries. The policy I am trying to advance is that we have a rules-based system that is fair but firm. If people comply with the rules, they can come in. If they do not, they have to leave. Regarding Citywest, I know the Senator was disappointed with what Commissioner Brunner said about best practice. She said there was a dangerously low bar for standards. I have been out there and have seen the facilities in Citywest for people who are applying for asylum. It is a very generous response by the State. We are providing people with accommodation while processing their applications. It is a lot better than in other European countries.

Finally, I agree with Senator Byrne. It has been an interesting debate. We do not need big crowds here to have an interesting debate. I always enjoy my time in the Seanad. I will be writing a report card at the end of all the top performing Senators. I am pleased to see they are all here today, including Senator Boyhan.