Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)

It is so important that voices from all sides are heard. Regrettably, here we are today with scarce attendance. On this issue, Ireland has to have a tough immigration system that recognises that there are vulnerable people who are coming from the most difficult circumstances who are justifiably recognised as having a successful asylum claim. It also must recognise the fact that there are people coming to the country under false pretences, perhaps with no documents, whose stories do not match what they are saying and who are successfully through the system process, rejected and then have to be deported. To ensure that we have a viable migration system in this country, we have to have resources. To suggest that it is possible for Ireland to go it alone does not reflect the realities of the situation.

It is important that if somebody applies for asylum in a different member state, Ireland's authorities in the Department of justice and An Garda Síochána understand that the person has put in an application with a different country and therefore should be returned to that country to have their application adjudicated upon there in the first instance. We cannot have a situation where people are able to lodge multiple asylum applications as they make their way across Europe and then subsequently come to Ireland to have a separate asylum application adjudicated upon here. It is also important that Ireland has access to fingerprint, arrest and criminal conviction records of people who have made their way to Ireland across Europe seeking asylum here. The only way we can have access to those two mechanisms is through a shared series of co-operation measures. That is what is proposed here. It is for those reasons and protecting the integrity of our asylum pact system in Ireland that I am supporting these measures.