Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I move:

That Seanad Éireann:- welcomes the establishment by the Government of the new office of Minister of State for new communities, culture and equality;

- commends the Minister of State for the work he has done to date with new communities, in particular through the organisation of the recent inaugural PolskaÉire 2015 festival; and

- calls on the Minister of State to outline to the Seanad the work he has done through development of the national integration strategy and other matters related to integration and new communities.

The motion welcomes the establishment by the Government last year of the new office of Minister of State for new communities, culture and equality and commends the Minister of State for the work he has done to date with new communities. Of course, the real impetus behind it was the organisation of the inaugural PolskaÉire 2015 festival which, as Members are aware, took place last week and proved to be hugely successful. The motion also calls on the Minister of State to outline to the Seanad the work he has done on matters related to integration and new communities and in the development of the national integration strategy. I very much look forward to hearing what he has to say.

I begin by referring to the issue of new communities and integration in general. This subject is close to my heart, particularly as my grandfather moved here from what was then Czechoslovakia in 1946 at a time when there was very little inward migration to Ireland. His name was Karel Bacik and he was involved in the glass industry in Bohemia. When he came to Ireland, he re-established Waterford Glass which was later taken over by an Irish consortium. His influence really brings home the message on the enormously positive contribution new communities can make to Ireland's economy and society. My grandfather brought over quite a number of Czech craftsmen to work in the glass factory in Waterford and some of their descendants, including my cousins, still live there. Mine is very much a personal story about the contribution of new communities, although they were not identified as such in the 1940s, when all we had were very small communities of inward migrants.

Happily, much larger numbers of such migrants now live here and they contribute to Ireland's society and economy. That is what was really being celebrated during the PolskaÉire festival last week. The Minister of State has previously recounted his experience of hearing a loud cheer from Croke Park during a soccer friendly between Ireland and Poland in 2008. When he heard the cheer, he assumed Ireland had scored a goal and was shocked when he discovered it had been scored by Poland. The cheer, of course, had come from the Polish supporters in the crowd that evening. This is a great story because it illustrates just how big the Polish community here is and how important it is to Ireland. We all have Polish friends. Polish people are well integrated into all communities and every local shop now stocks Polish goods. The Polish deputy head of mission in Ireland wrote the foreword to the PolskaÉire festival programme and referred to how much Ireland and Poland had in common in both history and culture. It is estimated that some 150,000 Polish citizens live in Ireland and that Polish is now the second most widely spoken language on the island of Ireland. These are remarkable statistics and worth celebrating. The Minister of State deserves enormous commendation for taking the initiative to celebrate the diversity of the Polish community.

I take the opportunity to welcome the representatives of the Polish community and the PolskaÉire festival who have joined us in the Visitors Gallery. I am glad to see them here. We are all very happy to welcome them for this debate.We in this House are all very happy to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, to the House for this debate. We were just speaking about the PolskaÉire festival. In a sense, it was an initiative that was overdue because the Polish community in this country has now become so large and so well integrated. A hugely varied range of events was on offer as part of the festival. In a way, the festival was built around the important European championship qualifier between Ireland and Poland, which as everyone is aware was held on Sunday night. We had the very equitable one-all result, which nicely matched the atmosphere of the festival itself. We had events as varied as: a course of learning Polish through football; a Polish-Irish art exhibition in Polish House on Fitzwilliam Place; FAI open days across the country - the FAI was an important partner in the festival; events on integration and Polish-Irish relations in both the Mansion House and in UCD; the very important Oireachtas GAA challenge match last Tuesday night; the Polish film festival which is ongoing in Smithfield; and an event in Cork in the Crawford Gallery on the story of Casimir Markievicz.

It was only really when I was looking over the programme of events that I suddenly realised that just outside this Chamber we have a picture with a very strong Polish connection, one which is replicated in the PolskaÉire festival brochure, namely, the painting of Constance Markievicz, the first woman Deputy elected to Dáil Éireann and the first woman elected in December 1918 to the House of Commons in Westminster, although she did not take her seat. The portrait hanging outside the Seanad Chamber is reputedly painted by her husband, Casimir Markievicz, who was the Polish connection. As everyone is aware, she was born Constance Gore-Booth. I thought it was a very nice way to illustrate the long relations between the two countries to have an event centred around the life of Casimir Markievicz.

When I organised an event in the Dáil Chamber in December 2008 to mark the 90th anniversary of the election of Constance Markievicz, we had a speech read out in the Chamber that she had given to the Irish Women's Franchise League during the campaign to get votes for women. She spoke of the need for women to wear short skirts, stout boots and to carry a revolver when they were campaigning for votes. Perhaps that was somewhat over militant but it illustrated the mood of the time.

In the brief time available I wish to first commend the Minister of State for organising the PolskaÉire festival and for taking this great initiative in conjunction with the Polish community in Ireland with the FAI and other stakeholders including city councils. I congratulate him on the success of the festival. I also wish to talk more generally about integration and new communities. We know from census 2011 that there are 540,000 people who are not Irish citizens resident in Ireland, which is approximately 12% to 15% of the population. In fact, nearly three quarters of the non-Irish population are from the UK or the EU and from within the EU the biggest number are Polish citizens. Since 2011 more than 59,000 people have been granted Irish citizenship.

A very important achievement of the Government is that when it came into office in 2011 there was a backlog of more than 22,000 citizenship applications unprocessed on a ministerial desk. The former Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, described in this House the stasis that had taken hold where nobody was processing routine applications. It was his initiative to start the citizenship ceremonies which have been so successful all over the country. The processing time for citizenship applications has reduced from 31 months to fewer than six months and the citizenship ceremonies themselves are hugely important in making people feel a sense of pride, ownership and that they have a stake in the country to which they have chosen to pledge their allegiance. It is a great improvement on the previous system. I have many friends who had made citizenship applications which were granted in a District Court at the end of a long list with absolutely no ceremony or sense that one was being welcomed into the community. The ceremony has been a very important initiative in itself that has fostered greater integration.

Many other important initiatives have been carried out on integration and immigration law reform in the lifetime of the Government. The British-Irish visa scheme is very important in allowing a single visa for both Britain and Ireland for people from abroad. The civilianisation of the immigration service has freed up members of the Garda for other duties. Another very important measure is the legislative reform of the asylum system. The protection Bill is to be introduced shortly by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. She has already had Cabinet approval in principle for that. We are due to have pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill in the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence shortly after Easter. I look forward to that because it is very important that we would reform the asylum system. I am aware it is a subject close to the Minister of State's heart, as is direct provision, which we have spoken about in this House many times.

I again welcome the establishment last October of the protection process working group which is due to report soon, and which we very much hope will make recommendations for reform of the direct provision system. It must be noted that the number of people in direct provision has fallen. There has been a particular effort to move families out of direct provision, which is important and welcome.

Other issues that have had to be handled in a crisis response followed from the closure of private language schools. Many international students were left high and dry by the sudden closure of those schools. Concerted efforts have been made to ensure that those students are looked after and that they are not simply left in the lurch when the schools closed.

Another issue on which the Minister of State and I have worked, and on which the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence has done a great deal of work in terms of integration, is that of recognition of Traveller ethnicity. Members are aware that the committee recommended that the Government would recognise Traveller ethnicity. We learned from our hearings with experts that this would not require statutory change and that a declaration by the Minister for Justice and Equality on behalf of the Government would suffice. We have made the recommendation and the Minister of State will continue to work towards achieving that aim because it is an important integration matter, albeit that it does not relate to new communities.

I am aware the Minister of State will address the national integration strategy. I very much welcome the fact that the review was announced last year before the Minister of State's office came into being and that there would be a review of Ireland's approach to the integration of migrants. A cross-departmental group was established in that regard. More than 80 submissions have been made from a wide range of NGOs, groups and individuals on the development of the national integration strategy. Consultation sessions have taken place and a draft strategy is being prepared. I look forward very much to hearing from the Minister of State about that.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, on the work he has done. I also commend those involved in the organisation of the PolskaÉire festival. I look forward to many more such festivals in the years to come.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome members of the Polish community to the Oireachtas. I hope they enjoy their visit.

Aideen Hayden (Labour)
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I welcome our visitors to the Gallery and I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, to the House. I echo the sentiments of my colleague, Senator Bacik, in congratulating him on the work he has done as Minister of State with responsibility for new communities, culture and equality. I take the opportunity to second the Labour Party Private Members' motion.

I commend the Minister of State's efforts to eliminate inequality and his commitment to tackling racism in this country. It is an area that has been sadly neglected and he has brought new life and vigour to it. In reality, more and more people choose to spend their life in Ireland. The latest census figures show that one in nine people living in this country was born abroad. Ireland is becoming a more diverse and multicultural society. Therefore, it is essential to have someone in government responsible for representing and integrating new communities. Integration means access to and participation in all aspects of Irish life - economic, social, cultural and political.

Like Senator Bacik, I wish to congratulate the Minister of State in particular on the PolskaÉire 2015 festival, which was an enormous success. A testament to that is that one of our colleagues, Senator John Gilroy, suffered what was, thankfully, a non-fatal injury defending the Oireachtas football team to a draw against our Polish counterparts.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Somebody had to.

Aideen Hayden (Labour)
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It was not fixed; it was a truly merited outcome.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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His ego was more seriously injured.

Aideen Hayden (Labour)
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The entire festival was a very ambitious effort and it has been a very positive experience. It was well worth it to celebrate the diversity that Polish people bring to this country. The sporting element of the event is very important also. We were down a man in the Seanad but that is the way it goes.

A recent study from NUI Galway showed that the most effective way to get Muslim youth integrated into society is through participation in sport.Therefore, I think that sports, particularly local GAA and soccer clubs, have an important part to play. Basing the PolskaÉire festival around the Ireland-Poland match recognised the powerful effect that sports can have in creating communities.

I wish to refer briefly to the issue of direct provision, which I have raised a number of times in this House. Before the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, was appointed to his current portfolio, he was very vocal on the need for reform of the direct provision system. I brought this matter to his attention here just after he had been appointed and I applaud his commitment to that reform since assuming his ministerial role. He and his colleagues in the Department of Justice and Equality have launched the working group on direct provision. In addition, last week they published the heads of the international protection Bill. This will be the biggest change to refugee law in this country in 20 years.

I want to see these new application procedures speed up decisions on asylum applications, as well as reducing the time during which applicants are left in limbo. It is so difficult to build a new life in any country, but it is reprehensible to expect people to do so without the basic freedoms that most of us enjoy, such as the right to work and to choose where we live. The sooner these applicants can have a fair decision and truly integrate into Irish society, the better.

I also want to talk about the economic benefits that immigrants bring to this country. Currently, there is much discussion in the media about the debate in the UK on a referendum to leave the EU, known as Brexit. A large part of that debate is focused on anti-immigrant sentiment which is widespread and growing across Europe. We must not let ourselves succumb to misinformation, however. The UK general election is looming and the likes of UKIP and the Conservative Party are running on a strong anti-immigration platform and are seriously considering a UK exit from the EU.

In the struggle for economic recovery from the global financial crisis, immigrants are being demonised and used as scapegoats for large-scale unemployment in certain sectors of society. New evidence, however, shows that European immigrants are having a positive impact in the UK, despite popular opinion. For example, data from the UCL centre for research and analysis of migration show that European immigrants in the UK have paid more in taxes than they have received in benefits and have helped to relieve the fiscal burden on UK-born workers, as well as contributing to financing public services. European immigrants who have arrived in the UK since 2000 have contributed more than £20 billion to UK public finances between 2001 and 2011. Additionally, they provide productive human capital that would otherwise have cost the UK £6.8 billion in spending on education.

It is not a far stretch to apply the same results to Ireland. The 2011 census figures show that one in three newcomers to this country has a degree or other higher education qualification. Immigrants in this country comprise well-educated and hard-working people who have chosen to be part of Irish society. They are contributing to the economic recovery of this country, as well as to the cultural and social richness of modern Irish life.

It is important to have a Government position dedicated to addressing the needs of new communities. More important, however, is to get representatives from these new communities into politics and public representation. Many non-Irish citizens do not realise that they have a right to vote. Due to a lack of information they are shut out of participating in Irish political life. Opportunities are thus lost to hear the views of these communities directly and to have policies that reflect these views. We need to work hard to change this.

I welcome the comments last week by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, at a USI conference in Athlone. She addressed the issue of college fees for asylum applicants. Due to the cost of third-level education, these young people are not progressing and are shut out of education. Last year, the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and I attended the Tom Johnson Summer School. We spoke to a young mother whose daughter gave a poignant example of how she was shut out of the Irish educational system by having no opportunity to progress post-leaving certificate into university.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator's time is up now.

Aideen Hayden (Labour)
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I will take just one minute to conclude. Such students work hard to complete their leaving certificate examinations, yet they face the same third-level fees that wealthy overseas students would be charged for medical courses. If we are to have a fair and equal society we need to change this system as a matter of urgency.

I echo Senator Bacik's comment that ethnic status should be awarded to the Traveller community. It may be the subject of another debate but we cannot let is slip off the agenda. It is urgent and needs to be addressed.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. These self-congratulatory motions are not exclusive to the current Government side. When we were in government we used to get them as well and they always made me cringe, as this one does a little bit. I was taken by Senator Bacik's nice story about the genesis of Waterford Glass. As someone who lives close to Waterford in the south-east, I know how important that enterprise was. I was aware of the story but I did not realise that Senator Bacik was actually related to the gentleman involved.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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There are not many Baciks in Ireland.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Bacik is going up in my opinion. As a contrarian in this House, can I say that my party will not be opposing the motion before us? I welcome the appointment of a Minister of State for the new communities because integration is hugely important. The various immigrants to Ireland over the last 20 years in particular have added significantly to, and have enhanced the fabric of, Irish society. Their presence is now making a distinctive contribution to our development.

That experience over the past 20 years has been good for Ireland, but there has been a lack of Government action on direct provision and undocumented migrants. In addition, there has been a failure to publish a new national integration strategy.

I will single out two immigrant communities. Our largest immigrant population are the British, which is interesting. I know anecdotally from speaking with such people in all corners of Ireland that many of them left Britain because they no longer felt at home in what was regarded as their own country. That is a cautionary note for us to ensure that the qualities which have held us in good stead are of value and need to be preserved in integrating our immigrant community.

The second largest community is the Polish one. Like Senator Bacik, I also want to pay tribute to their contribution. We have many Polish people in New Ross. There are two industries, a transport company and an American medical company, which employ significant numbers of Polish people. It is obvious that they have a tremendously good work ethic. They are here to secure a better life but also to make a contribution. One of the things we have as a nation is a tremendously good work ethic, which applies here as much as to Irish emigrants going abroad. It has stood us in good stead and also provides opportunities for those who emigrate.

In recent years, local industries in New Ross have become involved in a seven-a-side competition. For the first time last year we had a seven-a-side team entered by the Polish community, which got a lot of support. In fact, it created a good atmosphere surrounding the entire competition.

Most of the Polish here are devout Catholics who play a full part at parish level. That is also a great mechanism for integration. Many Polish people attend mass on Sundays and are thus part of the parish community.In the context of that particular tradition and the good Christian values of the Polish people, somewhat fortuitously, I happened to be on a trip to Poland with the then Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights when the funeral of St. John Paul II was taking place. I was in Warsaw for the funeral mass and subsequently travelled to Krakow that evening. The devotion of young Polish people to St. John Paul II at the time and the way in which his death had affected them was extremely touching. One could not but be impressed by what one had witnessed. I was struck by the fact that St. John Paul II was not just regarded as a religious leader but he was also a great national hero to the Polish people.

I would like the Minister of State to comment on the review of integration policy. It appears that the Government has been dragging its feet on it. The review was announced in March 2014 by the then Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter. The programme for Government included a commitment to promote policies which contributed to integration, but just over one year after the announcement of the review, there is no sign any such policy. There was great fanfare about the cross-departmental group on integration being reconstituted and given a mandate to review activities in this area. Failure to integrate will leave a large number of legacy issues for future generations. In that context, the level of extreme hostility towards Britain and France among some people born there to parents from other countries is a source of grave concern. Britain, France and similar nations are reaping the whirlwind of what a Member of this House referred to as multiculturalism. I am not a fan of multiculturalism. Some years ago I prepared a paper on policing in a multicultural society for one of the third level colleges. I argued in it that we should be talking not about multiculturalism but about interculturalism. Britain and France made mistakes in allowing huge swathes of urban areas to become dominated by particular ethnic groups, with no integration. That was a failure of policy. We should ensure we do not allow a similar situation to develop here.

The House has on many occasions discussed the delays and the legal mechanisms used to facilitate them, as well as the costs of the direct provision system. Above all, however, our debates on the issue have focused on the risk to those young people who are losing out on their childhood as a result of being in direct provision facilities. There have been cases in which people have been obliged to wait in the direct provision system for up to nine years. The position in this regard is unacceptable and action must be taken to solve the problem. On quite a few occasions I have been struck by how immigrants from countries from which there is no direct access to Ireland end up here. I am wondering if other countries within the European Union are abrogating their responsibilities. We must play our part proportionately, but we should not allow a system to develop whereby other countries do not play theirs and Ireland is left to pick up the pieces as a result.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome those in the Visitors Gallery who were responsible for organising the PolskaÉire 2015 festival, including my cousin, Ms Niamh Nestor. I know that she is very passionate about all things Polish and I am aware that she was involved in organising an event at the UCD humanities institute which I was unable to attend but which was extremely successful. I congratulate her on her achievement in that regard.

I welcome the motion, particularly as it highlights an important issue and makes a number of worthwhile points. Ireland has witnessed a great many changes during the past 20 years. Immigration has seen the make-up of some towns, villages and cities change completely. Change is never something to be feared and, in that spirit, I am glad to welcome the establishment by the Government of the new office of Minister with responsibility for new communities, culture and equality. All three aspects highlighted within the office of the Minister of State relate to an important issue, namely, new communities, of which there are many and which are drawn from all corners of the world. The members of these communities have come to Ireland for many reasons. If one walks down any street in Dublin's city centre area, one will see food on sale which caters for different ethnicities and the fabric of the city is all the more diverse and better for it. If one walks through the city centre when an international soccer tournament is taking place elsewhere, regardless of which team is playing, be it Costa Rica, Japan, Democratic Republic of Congo, etc., one will find people from that part of the world watching, cheering and often wearing replica jerseys. Much like our emigrants, they want to keep in touch with their home countries, while also embracing the culture of their current home. I hope we can help them to do this and know that, in the context of his new responsibilities, the Minister of State will provide assistance in that regard.

Ireland, as a nation, and each of us, as individuals, can now see emigration from both sides, from the perspective of a country welcoming immigrants, including the challenges and opportunities to which it gives rise, as well as from the perspective of a country which has, sadly, lost some of its young people to emigration. We are all aware of the challenges posed by such a country and live in the ever-present hope that if our young people want to return, they will be able to do so some day. In that spirit, the highlighting of equality within the context of the Minister of State's new office is vital. It is important to emphasise that it must to apply to all individuals who reside in Ireland. There are still regrettable instances where people who live here are not treated equally or are slow to achieve equal status. I refer in this regard to the process of direct provision, a matter to which Senators Aideen Hayden and Ivana Bacik have alluded, and the sheer length of time it takes people to work their way through the system. There is no question that equality delayed is equality denied. In that context, I am hopeful an office with a focus on equality can sustain a push to improve the process of direct provision. I know that the Minister of State is personally very passionate about this issue.

The motion calls on us to commend the Minister of State for the work he has done to date with new communities. This is certainly something with which I agree because he has truly put these issues at the forefront and continued to battle on them, both by means of introducing legislation and in the media. He has engaged all stakeholders in a way that has shown his sincerity in the matter and I genuinely believe he deserves credit. As Senator Ivana Bacik noted, he was responsible for organising a football match between Oireachtas Members and members of the Polish community. I do not know whether we should be happy or sad about that, particularly when one considers the quality of some of the football played. He was also involved with the PolskaÉire 2015 festival which continued to cement the bond between Poland and Ireland. Immigration to this country from Polan really began during the Celtic tiger era and many of those who came here at the time have remained and made Ireland their home. It is important that we highlight and celebrate this fact and that we continue to bring the two nations together.

Irish people made such an impression on Poland during the Euro 2012 soccer tournament that the respective football associations organised two friendly matches – home and away – in the following year. Tourist numbers from Ireland to Poland and vice versahave increased dramatically and I hope they will continue on their upward trajectory. The PolskaÉire 2015 festival was one way to ensure this would be the case. I commend the concept of holding such a festival and hope we can make the 2016 version even better again.

My final point relates to the fact that the motion calls on the Minister of State to outline to the Seanad the work he has done in the development of the national integration strategy and on other matters related to integration and new communities. What is still a relatively new office has already achieved a great deal. I wish the Minister of State every success in the year ahead and hope we will see fit to maintain the new office in the future.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I have a formal statement on the implementation of the national integration strategy which I propose to read before commenting on the PolskaÉire 2015 festival. Before I begin, I take the opportunity to thank Shane Long for scoring the equaliser in the last minute of Sunday evening's game. The Government parties are criticised for many things and I suppose the Labour Party could have been criticised for increasing the motivation of the Polish soccer team to do well on home soil, as it were, on Sunday last. I was delighted, in the context of the stability of the Government, that Shane Long managed to score his last minute goal.

I welcome the motion and thank the House for giving me the opportunity to provide an update on where we stand in the development of the revised national integration strategy. A Private Members' motion on racism agreed by the Seanad in June 2014 called on the Minister to report back to the House on these matters. This is an opportune time to provide some further information on developments in this area.As Senators will be aware, the programme for Government contains a commitment to the promotion of polices which integrate minority ethnic groups in Ireland, including those policies which promote social inclusion, equality, diversity and the participation of immigrants in the economic, social, political and cultural life of their communities. The Government recognises the importance and value of the many new communities that are now an integral part of Irish society. The importance of these groups was recognised and underscored in a tangible manner through the assignment, in July last year, of specific responsibilities for new communities to a junior Minister. The assignment of responsibilities in this manner helps ensure that issues of importance to new communities are highlighted appropriately.

I am sure Senators will be aware that we are in the process of reviewing Ireland's strategy on integration. This follows a decision which was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy early last year. The work on this review is being carried forward by a cross-departmental committee of senior officials and it is chaired by a senior official in my Department. The mandate of the cross-departmental group includes the following specific tasks - to review the activities being undertaken by Departments and agencies directed to promoting the integration of non-Irish nationals; the preparation of a draft overarching integration strategy taking account of the policies and actions already being implemented; and undertaking consultation with key stakeholders.

An important part of the work of the group was to engage in a meaningful way with members of the public. In order to do this, a two-fold approach was undertaken by the committee. The first step was to place a call in media outlets inviting submissions from interested parties who wished to contribute to the work of the group. The closing date for contributions was May 2014 and I am delighted to say that more than 80 submissions were received from a wide range of organisations and groups providing services to migrants.

The second phase of the consultation process was a series of face-to-face meetings with some of those who contributed material for consideration by the group. Five consultation sessions were held, with each session lasting one day and involving a series of sub-meetings with members of the public. A total of 27 separate groups, one individual and a group of seven individuals met with the cross-departmental group during these sessions. This segment of the consultative process facilitated the highlighting of, and in-depth discussions on, issues of particular concern. They also permitted those contributors present the opportunity of imparting their personal experiences to the committee. I understand that those who participated in these meetings, both from the official side and the non-government side, found these face-to-face interactions to be valuable.

Separate to the above process, the cross-departmental group also held a series of thematic meetings which addressed particular issues. The topics discussed during these meetings included promoting inter-cultural awareness and combating racism and xenophobia; education; social inclusion and access to public services; employment and pathways to work; and active citizenship. In addition, suggestions which were made in the context of written contributions have been collated and circulated to the relevant Departments and associated agencies for consideration.

Work on the development of the updated integration strategy is ongoing and I expect that a draft strategy will be sent to key stakeholders for their observations before the summer, with a view to the strategy being published as soon as possible thereafter. I hope that the resulting recommendations on migrant integration will form the basis of a new and more comprehensive overarching strategy, which is capable of meeting present needs and expected future conditions of society.

According to Census 2011, we have a situation where non-Irish nationals account for more than 500,000 or 12% of the population and where there has been a rapid growth in the non-Irish population over the past decade or so. We now have people from more than 199 countries living in the State. This can pose challenges but it can also provide opportunities. There have, unfortunately, been circumstances where individuals have experienced racism and xenophobia. I want to be clear in expressing my views on such behaviour - it is not acceptable and we will do everything possible to combat it.

I am aware there have been calls for the legislation on racism to be reviewed and this issue is a topic which is being looked at by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality in terms of its ongoing work on integration, multiculturalism and combating racism. I fully expect that the legislation to combat racism will be considered in the context of the outcome of the review of the Oireachtas committee and following publication of the Government's integration strategy. In the meantime, I urge those who are affected by manifestations of racism to report the matter to the appropriate authorities.

I am aware of the excellent work that NGOs in this sector have been doing in providing support and assistance to those who have been victims of racism, and I commend them on this. Of equal importance is their advocacy role in opposition to racism and in seeking to keep the focus of Government and of society generally on this problem.

I am pleased that the motion commends the holding of the PolskaÉire Festival 2015. This is an initiative I have had in mind for some time because I saw it as important to recognise the Polish influence in present day Ireland. It is estimated that there are 150,000 Polish citizens living in the State, resulting in Polish becoming the second most widely spoken language here. It also seemed to me to be a worthwhile exercise in furthering integration of Poles in Irish society and promoting contact between Irish, Polish and other nationalities, through a range of cultural, artistic, social, sporting and other events and catering for different age groups. I thought it would be a good idea if the festival was organised on the occasion of the Republic of Ireland v. Poland international, and that proved to be the case.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I arranged for funding for elements of the festival from the two Departments in which I am Minister of State. However, I thank the Polish Embassy, the FAI, Dublin City Council and other local authorities, the Irish-Polish Society, Polish associations such as Forum Polonia, sports clubs, SIPTU and cultural groups across the country - in short, anyone and everyone who organised events or participated in what was a successful festival. Despite what other members of my party might say, RTE was particularly supportive of the events last week.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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With regard to the amendment tabled by Senators Cullinane, Ó Clochartaigh and Reilly, as Senators will be aware, I have a personal commitment to reforming the direct provision system. Alongside my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, I established a working group on the protection process. The work of this group is ongoing and it will report back in the coming weeks with a suggested path of reforms. However, I cannot accept the amendment. Indeed, some of the matters referred to fall outside my remit in the Department. I appreciate that these are important issues and if the Senators want to outline their concerns in writing to me, I will ensure that they are brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald.

On a personal note, I thank those who were involved in the festival, which has become the first PolskaÉire Festival. It was intended to be a once-off occasion because it would centre around the soccer international but that changed over the course of the week of the events, which are still ongoing because there are events around the country and, indeed, the film festival in Smithfield this week has all of a sudden become the first Polish-Irish festival. There is a new plaque on O'Connell Street to Pawe Edmund Strzelecki, who did a massive amount of famine relief work here in the 1840s and is credited with saving the lives of 200,000 children in Ireland during that period. The plaque, a monument, if one likes, to the PolskaÉire Festival, will last for a long time, and great credit is due to the Irish-Polish Society for organising that.

We always have had people come to this country who have contributed to Ireland. One can go back to St. Patrick. One can look at the seven signatories to the Proclamation, two of whom were born outside Ireland and two others of whom were sons of migrants. It is a fantastic opportunity for us. As I have said this on quite a number of occasions, I feel sorry for the Polish representatives in the Gallery who have heard so many similar speeches of mine in the past ten days or so, but, if I might, I will continue along that vein. The country that I grew up in was a particularly boring, stale, mono-cultural one, a country that people wanted to leave. Many of us in this House will have friends and family living abroad who have found a country outside of Ireland that they decided to call home. I was taken by something an Italian Minister said at an EU event recently, that he wanted Italy to be the best place in the world for Italian-born people. That is something we have to do for ourselves, hope Ir eland might be the best place in which Irish people can live. However, from a situation where, in 1996, 0.5% of the population were born outside the State, now 12% were. It is a wonderfully enriching and exciting for us to have that shared experience. The thousands of years of history that have brought the Polish nation to this point is now our history too. While the Polish people go through a period of reflection on the 70 years since the end of the Second World War and we are going through our period of reflection, I am so excited about the new identity of being Polish-Irish. I said this on quite a few occasions that we are so used to the idea of being Irish-American but we have never necessarily come to the realisation that there is a whole new body of people in the country who are comfortable with the idea of being Hungarian-Irish, Czech-Irish, Moldovan-Irish or Polish-Irish.

We have started something wonderful with this conversation this week. We talked with young people about where they are with that internal friction between two identities and how they can celebrate it and move on from it. We have spoken about integration through sport, which, as Senator Hayden stated, is a fantastic avenue in which to connect and build bridges. We have used art and music. Basically, we have focused, not only on the constraints of a national identity but on what a national identity can do in terms of connecting with another human being.National identity is important, but one's humanity supersedes all of those elements.

I thank Senators for allowing us discuss the nature of integration. I agree we have problems and issues to overcome. People have mentioned the issue of direct provision and that is something we discussed at the joint committee earlier today. There are obviously issues to be discussed in regard to the protection system. Not everybody has the same mindset when it comes to the issue of migration and I would say that our political system does not give itself enough credit for its achievements. Look for example at what is happening across the water in the British general election and how immigration is front and centre of that debate. Look too at what is happening in France and Germany. The European Union is under a greater strain now, despite being the greatest political movement of the past 100 years and bringing people together with the common goal for a peaceful Europe. Our system, regardless of political party affiliations, has not been strangled by the issue of immigration and we should hold on to, cherish and build on that for the future.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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I would like to say dobranocand witam wasto our guests in the Gallery.

It is important for us to have this debate. I wish to move our amendment to the motion.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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Has the Senator a seconder for his amendment.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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I will have.

I move amendment No. 1:After "integration and new communities", to insert the following paragraph:

"calls on the Minister to outline to the Seanad his plans to deal with the estimated 30,000 undocumented people in Ireland and to inform the Seanad of what action, if any, he intends to take to address the humanitarian crisis in the Direct Provision System."

We had a long debate earlier today about the direct provision system and the Minister of State repeated again today the statement he made previously, namely, that he will not stand over that system. I welcome that statement. However, the 4,000 plus people in that system have seen little change to their ongoing nightmare of living in direct provision. I also note that nothing has changed for the estimated 30,000 undocumented people living and working in Ireland.

The fact that Sue Conlan, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, recently resigned from the Government's working group to reform the protection process is serious. Her reasons for doing so were to do with serious concerns about the overriding purpose of the general scheme of the International Protection Bill published on 25 March 2015. In announcing the heads of the Bill, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, stated the "single procedure" and other reforms will allow for earlier identification of people who need international protection and those who can be returned to their country of origin. While early identification of refugees is clearly to be welcomed, the "single procedure" envisaged in the heads of the Bill is as much, if not more, concerned with speedy decisions leading to deportation as it is with early identification of refugees. The emphasis should be on a "single protection procedure" to ensure that people at risk of persecution or serious harm are granted permission to remain in Ireland. Only when that has been fully completed should there be any consideration of other reasons that could give rise to Ireland's obligations under other international conventions. Indeed Sue Conlan stated "this is an International Protection Bill and it should not be used as a means of enforcing immigration control." In addition, the complete absence of any reference to "direct provision" in the Bill is a lost opportunity, since this has been the source of both national and international criticism since its inception.

There is no legislative basis for the system of direct provision in Ireland. The current system was the brainchild of the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat Government and is based on a combination of administrative decisions and ministerial and departmental circulars. The estimated cost for direct provision to the State in 2014 was €51 million. That is just under €12,000 per resident, none of which is paid to asylum seekers themselves but rather goes to private operators who run the State's 34 direct provision centres. This is now a very lucrative business, with some speculators making profits in excess of €10.8 million, while accumulated profits come to €25 million. It is shocking to think that people are making what can only be described as immoral profit out of the misery and vulnerability of other human beings. The entire direct provision project is a costly and inhumane disaster that should be immediately phased out.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Sinn Féin calls on the Minister to begin the immediate phasing out of the system over a 12-month period. In the interim, oversight of the system should be given to the Ombudsman for Children and to the Office of the Ombudsman, with immediate effect. The Committee of Public Accounts should be given responsibility for oversight of all financial transactions relating to the system. There should be an immediate move to self-catering within the current system as this would give some degree of dignity and autonomy to residents. The policy of dispersal should cease immediately and residents should be entitled to apply for and receive State welfare transfers. Asylum seekers should be allowed to work while awaiting a decision on their application for leave to remain.

In light of the appalling waste and tragedy that is direct provision and in light of the additional factor of 30,000 undocumented people living in the

Therefore, let us at least have the basic decency not to pretend that some fancy integration policy with all the right buzz words is a sign of our commitment to justice and fairness when it comes to asylum seekers and non-EU immigrants. If we are to take ourselves seriously as legislators, there is an obligation on us to deal with the structural and institutional underbelly of immigration. It is insulting and downright disingenuous of us to pretend we care, when in reality we are prepared to stand over clear abuses of human rights while at the same time utilising the full rigours of the State to introduce draconian immigration legislation. Indeed, perhaps, we would be far better off forgetting the shallow rhetoric of integration and remembering instead, that there is no such thing as an illegal human being.

I am very concerned about a motion that is to come before this House tomorrow. It is being brought forward by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, and was debated in the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform today. This proposal will reduce freedom of information access in regard to the Refugee Appeals Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal and will limit any FOI requests in their regard from October 2014. I believe this is a retrograde step. It certainly begs the question as to why there is such a reinforcing of the veil of secrecy around the Department of Justice and Equality when it comes to issues concerning refuge and asylum. This is a sinister and retrograde step and I call on all Senators to oppose this motion tomorrow. It is appalling that it is even coming before us.

I welcome the positive steps that are being made, but positive engagements and initiatives certainly do not equate to a policy and integration strategy. I hope that when the Minister of State comes back to us with a strategy, we can have a fuller debate on all issues related to people living in Ireland today.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I commend the Labour Party on tabling this Private Members' motion. We in this House cannot speak often enough of the importance of integration. I thank the Fine Gael lead speaker, Senator Noone, for outlining Fine Gael's support for this motion on integration and for the celebration of it, the PolskaÉire festival. I also wish to acknowledge the members of the Polish community in the Gallery. I have been privileged to have been able to employ a number of Polish people in business in County Clare. These have been some of the most amazing people I have met and their commitment to our society and community is second to none. They are involved in everything, including a fashion show for the GAA in which one of my Polish staff was a model. She was a great hit and as a result has been approached by some agency that may poach her. The best of luck to her. If that happens, I will be delighted for her. Our society has developed incredibly.

Today, representatives from the Immigration Control Platform spoke at the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality about the European policy on integration and people from other communities. It would be an understatement to say their contributions were shocking.To think that they speak for a portion of people in our society who believe we need to limit integration and close our minds to difference is shocking.

Áine Ní Chonaill and her colleague got a gruelling in the justice committee. I have to admire their use of language because in their opening submission they spoke about an armada of ships crossing the Mediterranean but the Chairman, Deputy David Stanton, asked them if they thought these people might be crossing the Mediterranean because they are in fear of their lives in their own countries, particularly in Syria, and are prepared to risk their lives, not because they want to leave their own country - if they had a choice I am sure they would want to stay in their own countries - but because they fear for their lives and are prepared to risk their lives for the chance of a better life and a better future. However, that did not seem to register at all with them. That discussion was held today in one part of these Houses but, thankfully, we are having a much more positive discussion in the Seanad Chamber. I agree with Senator Ó Clochartaigh that there are many things we have not got right in this country but that is not because of politicians. It is the effect of integration of our people where there is an understanding of alternative culture.

I note the Minister's comment that Polish is the second language here in terms of the numbers of people speaking it, which is remarkable. It is an indication of the way society has moved on, but there is an underbelly in this society that need to engage and that have a journey to travel. I hope that, over time, they will travel that journey and embrace the different cultures and opportunities that are at their doorsteps in every town and village in this country. People are not born nasty or insular. Circumstances have led to that and it is our job to promote the circumstances that create tolerance, integration and the type of society where everybody lives together in harmony supporting each other.

I have spoken regularly about the disgraceful situation that is direct provision here. Frankly, the Government did nothing about direct provision until the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, became Minister for equality and other areas. We are doing something now. It is shocking that we wasted three years in government during which we could have done something about it, but we did not.

This House was not shy in highlighting the issues and the disgraceful conditions in direct provision. An all-party Oireachtas group of Senators, which met on a regular basis led by Senator Ó Clochartaigh, our colleague, Senator Jillian van Turnhout, and others, were pounding away but getting nowhere until Deputy Aodháin Ó Ríordáin became Minister of State. I have absolute faith that in the lifetime of this Government, and I hope well in advance of then, this issue will be dealt with. I put down that challenge to the Minister, and I know he is committed to it. However, being committed to it is one thing; delivering on that commitment is something else. I believe we will see the second part of that now, the first part being the commitment to set up the review groups and so forth. I sincerely hope that those on this side of the House will be able to face into the next general election without the disgraceful legacy of direct provision, having done nothing about it.

I understand the reason Senator Ó Clochartaigh felt it necessary to table the amendment but I am sure he realises, as we do, that a sincere commitment has been given now and I hope he will reflect that sincere commitment by not pressing the amendment. He has made his point very well. There is a good deal happening, and it is not just fancy language. Thousands of Polish people across the country engaged with the recent Polska Éire Festival. They spoke about nothing else for weeks in advance of it. I commend the people who rolled up their sleeves and got involved in organising it. I know it will become an annual event, and I sincerely hope many more Irish people will partake in future Polska Éire festivals because it is all about integration and understanding. I suggest to other communities, such as the Czech community of which there are thousands here, that they should consider having a Czech festival. Other minority groups-----

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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Sorry Senator, you are over time.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Perhaps that has been done but it is through entertainment, sport, culture, music and tolerance that this society will become one of which we are proud. We are proud of our heritage, but we need to be proud of our future.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Well said.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister and apologise for being elsewhere, blessed with a toothache at the time. I appreciate that the Minister has a rather mixed bag of portfolios which make great demands on his time. However, the Polska Éire event is an example of the way he has managed to marry parts of the new community and a cultural event thereby breaking down the silos that sometimes exist, not least in Departments but also in the wider world where people often perceive politics being played in separate pieces. The Minister has successfully crossed over that. I am aware much of that is driven by his love of football, and it would be unfair of us not to acknowledge that because when people bring their personal passion and love of something to bear, it often encourages other people to come forward. People then know that the Minister is doing it for the right reasons.

The Minister has successfully married other areas of culture with his great love of football. I am sure there are many people around the country who genuinely appreciate that and as my colleague said, it is hoped the Polska Éire Festival will become an annual event which will be broadened to include other communities that have come to live in Ireland to be part of our culture and have an opportunity to share and learn from each other. In The Model art centre in Sligo, for example, members of the communities living in direct provision have had celebrations of their cultural interest in food at weekends. They did that to show us that we all enjoy eating, which is a great way to get people around the table to share food from another country and talk about how they make it thereby breaking down the barriers that sometimes exist. That is a small initiative. I ask the Minister to forgive me for not knowing whether he had a big food piece in this event.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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Maybe sausages.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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We do love sausages. Perhaps there is an opportunity to extend the food part because it is genuinely a place for people to go, particularly for people who do not like football, if I can say that in a whisper-----

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Not here.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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-----and who may not feel able to engage at the cultural level. Food is a basic thing but such events allow people to come forward, and they have a strong part to play.

The Minister has spent a good deal of the afternoon engaging with the oversight committee on the question of direct provision. That work is ongoing, and I know the Minister is constrained in what he can say until the working group reports. He has trusted the members of that group to do the work and report, and many people are awaiting that, but I know the Minister is personally determined that change will come because we must have change. Members of this House and the other House have said that and I will not repeat it, other than to add my voice also. The Minister and I visited Globe House in Sligo and heard the many stories directly. We know the Minister is determined to make that change on which he has the support probably of every Member of this House and the other House. However, when that report is published we must not have another report that merely outlines all the other things we need to do, and it passes on to another phase where nobody does anything.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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That is the one thing I would urge. Whatever else the Minister of State may set out to achieve, taking the report and making it happen will be something that he has our support for and it is something I would like to see.

I am grateful to him for his support of the Yeats 2015 celebration. It would be remiss of me not to mention Yeats. As much as he can talk about football, I can talk about Yeats. We have found there is a great deal of cultural involvement by communities across Ireland. Last weekend I was in Wicklow and then I drove to Sligo to celebrate Yeats in both places on the same day. About 80 events, at a minimum, are happening around the world which has been achieved with the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Culture Ireland and others. It is another opportunity for us to share and invite others into the celebration of something that is very important to us. The Minister of State has assisted us in that matter and we look forward to seeing him at other events later on in the year. Yeats 2015 is a great opportunity, in Ireland, to celebrate cultural wealth and heritage and contemporary cultural wealth which is extraordinary over the course of the year. I enjoyed hearing the young Yeats Cup performers who participated in Feis Shligigh at the weekend. Even though the performers were aged between 14 and 18 they gave extraordinary renditions of complex Yeats poetry. That proves that there is a new generation always coming through who wants to take his poetry with them. We have a great future and there is a lot happening.

I commend what the Minister of State has done. Above all we look forward to the direct provision report being a game-changer and that he would be the player in achieving same.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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To quote Yeats, I say to Senator Reilly that she may "arise and go now."

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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The Senator can be a boxer.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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The amendment has been duly seconded by Senator Reilly. I call on Senator Bacik and she has four minutes to respond to the debate.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I thank all colleagues in the Seanad who spoke on this motion. I thank the Minister of State for attending and giving us a comprehensive account of what is being done on integration. I thank him, in particular, for his personal description of the PolskaÉire festival, its highlights and so on. Mr. Martin O'Prey from his office is seated in the Visitors Gallery with visitors and he deserves a special thanks. I also thank the visitors, including Senator Noone's cousin, for coming in and for all the work they have done on the PolskaÉire festival.

As the proposer of the motion, I know that Senator Hayden will join with me in making no apology for what is an unashamedly positive motion and for using language of commendation for the Minister of State, PolskaÉire festival and the work done on integration.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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We have had a long and fractious week in the Seanad when we debated other issues. It is appropriate that we would, on this particular issue, adopt a celebratory tone. Very positive comments, generally, have been made by colleagues across the floor. I hope the amendment will not be pressed. We have had plenty of opportunity in this House to debate direct provision and we will again do so because all of us feel strongly about the matter.

On the issue of undocumented migrants, I have worked with the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland on the matter and I know many other colleagues have done the same. We will have other opportunities to speak on this matter. I note that Senator O'Keeffe has made the point that the direct provision report should be a game-changer. I hope that when it is published we will have an opportunity to debate it with the Minister of State in this House. That would be the appropriate time for us to debate the tos and fros of what reforms need to be made on direct provision.

On this occasion, we are looking at the positive benefits of integration that have resulted from inward migration to Ireland. We are commending and congratulating those involved in the PolskaÉire festival. As many have said, we hope to see its success replicated in the future. The gauntlet has been thrown to me, as somebody who is Czech-Irish, which I shall take on. I hope a CzechÉire festival will be organised in due course.

There are challenges, as in any community. Ireland has experienced quite rapid net inward migration which was partly due to the boom but it has consolidated since. Senator Hayden and others, as well as the Minister of State, spoke about the need to tackle racism. There have been some ugly incidents of racism which all of us acknowledge. It is also important to acknowledge that we have not seen the sort of vicious, organised, racist and political movements that have, most unfortunately, come forward in other European countries. We have been fortunate that has not happened and that is due to a quite a number of factors. We should cherish the absence of such a movement and the generally positive outlook extended towards people in new communities. The expression "new communities" is somewhat problematic in many ways but it is used in a positive sense which is important.

As others have said, there are challenges in terms of direct provision. Senator Conway correctly pointed out that there has been a particular drive to tackle the challenges of direct provision and to reform the system since the Minister of State has come to office. I am glad to see such a development. We all welcome the development and look forward to the report.

Clearly, undocumented migrants is a major issue. Recently the Taoiseach visited the US and spoke to President Obama about the plight of the undocumented Irish in that country. It is important that we work on the issue here and I know the Minister of State has given a personal commitment to do so. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland has also done great work on the issue.

Other colleagues mentioned the issue of low pay for migrant workers. In fact, the Annual Monitoring Report on Integration reports generally positive outcomes for children of migrants in education in Ireland. It also reports a generally positive experience of migrant communities in employment. Many of the migrant population and new communities are engaged in highly skilled work and in well paid sectors which is important to acknowledge.

Low pay is an issue. The low pay commission established by the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Gerald Nash, has a representative from the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. SIPTU has also done a great deal of work for young migrant workers and was actively engaged in the PolskaÉire festival. I know because the matter arose at an event SIPTU organised to take place in Liberty Hall as part of the festival.

It is important to note that we are addressing the challenges. It is not that we are unaware of the challenges on both sides of the house but we need to bring a positive approach to bear. Finally, all of my colleagues who spoke were very positive about the benefits of diversity and the need to celebrate our blended identities as Polish-Irish or Czech-Irish people. As we sit here in the Seanad this evening, with a portrait by a Polish count outside the Chamber, and inside with three chandeliers made by Waterford Glass which has had such a strong input from the Czech-Irish community, it is good that we celebrate diversity, the great benefits of our new communities and of greater integration in Irish society.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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What beautiful chandeliers they are. I congratulate the Senator on them. I did not realise her connection with them.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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When is it proposed to sit again?

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.