A Dáil debate on the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at EU level has heard claims that the country has been “ravaged by IPAS centres” and that the International Protection system has “become a cash cow for a golden circle.”
Thursday’s debate also heard a claim that Sinn Féin did not support the extension of the Government’s temporary protection directive until 2027.
The debate heard from Sinn Féin Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy, said that he wanted to “put on the record Sinn Féin’s view that the temporary protection directive should not have been extended until 2027.”
This related to the proposal for a Council recommendation on a co-ordinated approach to the transition out of temporary protection. Carthy said that the Government had supported this extension “without any consultation with the Oireachtas despite the financial and the public policy implications of the move.”
Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath, a longstanding opponent of the Government’s approach to immigration claimed: “The Government has plundered and ravaged our country. It has disrespected the people. It is time it respected the people. Members of Government, especially the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, are punch drunk from being great people who travel all over the world. They should look after our Irish people.
“They should respect them, the Constitution and the people who fought for it. We had a debate on the GPO two days ago. What is happening here is nothing short of outrageous. I am told we have no social welfare inspectors. We have two in Waterford city and south Tipperary. People are flying in here every seven or eight weeks to collect copious amounts of money before flying back out again. In the name of God, are we pure fools? I ask that the Government please respect the Irish people and the sovereignty of this country.”
Deputy McGrath said that he could not support any proposal “that forces Ireland to accept an EU-wide list of so-called safe countries.”
He said it would be an example of Brussels “removing our ability to make independent decisions as to who comes into our country.”
“It is a one-size-fits-all policy that undermines our sovereignty. What is worse, it opens the door to even more migrants appealing decisions with no accountability. We need to update our list of safe countries and stop the abuse of the system. It is a pity the former Minister, Deputy Roderic O’Gorman, is not here because he sent out a tweet in several different languages appealing for people to come to Ireland. He said they would have their own front door in three months. It was lunacy.”
“My county has been ravaged by IPAS centres. It started with a centre in Roscrea and there are now centres in Dundrum and outside Thurles. Attempts have been made to make the Kilcoran Lodge Hotel into one. The Minister of State has fond memories of that hotel. He says he was there as a page boy at a wedding years ago. He knows how beautiful it is. Hearn’s Hotel in the centre of Clonmel has become such a centre and there is another on the border of Carrick-on-Suir. Those are the ones we know of.”
‘TEMPORARY MEASURES SHOULD BE TEMPORARY’
Deputy Matt Carthy continued: “The extension of the temporary protection directive to March 2027, five years after the war started, was not a sustainable solution and is incredibly problematic. It is very interesting to read the speech the Minister has put on the record of this House. He said:
“Given the inherent temporary nature of the temporary protection directive, it is accepted that even if the war in Ukraine remains protracted, temporary protection must come to an end.
“I was called heartless last week for saying the exact same thing. It is a matter of common sense that temporary measures should be temporary. Sinn Féin argued that, rather than extending the temporary protection directive, what we needed to see was a planned end to the directive that gives Ukrainians certainty about their future in Ireland and about what supports for those who wish to return home would be put in place.”
Deputy Carthy was speaking after Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan moved a number of motions, claiming that the central priority of the Government is to have an immigration system in the country “that is robust and in which the people can have confidence.” During his speech, the Justice Minister said that Ireland’s alignment with the EU was crucial, whilst Carthy argued the opposite, asking: “Who exactly are we trying to impress?”
Minister Jim O’Callaghan told the House: “Ireland is committed to supporting and advancing the development of a common European system of asylum to provide a consistent, fair and efficient asylum procedure in ordinary times and also in times of crisis, which we certainly saw last year when 18,500 people came to Ireland seeking asylum.
“For this reason, I ask that the House approve the three motions before it this afternoon, which seek permission to allow Ireland to opt into the three proposals in the field of international and temporary protection.”
A new international protection Bill would replace the current one, which has been in place for ten years. The Government has said that its purpose for replacing it is to reform the system of asylum applications in Ireland and, according to the Minister, to “ensure we are transposing into Irish law the requirements of our membership and the agreement to take on board the content of the migration pact.”
In April, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation amending the APR regarding the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level. This related to the first of the three motions brought forward on Wednesday.
This would provide, for the first time in EU law, the ability to designate safe countries of origin at Union level.
“The possibility for member states to designate countries as safe countries of origin at national level is retained. This, in particular, is something I wanted to emphasise,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
“The current proposal of the EU is to designate all EU candidate countries as safe. These countries are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine. It is also proposed at EU level to designate the following non-candidate countries as safe: Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia.”
“That would continue alongside the national power that Ireland and all other member states would retain to designate their own list of safe countries,” the Justice Minister said.
The Minister went on to say that Ireland should “align ourselves and harmonise our approach with other EU countries.” He claimed that things have gotten “considerably worse” for the United Kingdom in terms of its response to illegal immigration after leaving the EU.
“Ireland’s strategic role in relation to migration decisions will be strengthened through its participation in migration measures at EU level.
“A decision to opt in to these proposals would demonstrate Ireland’s commitment to a common EU-wide solution to migration, as evidenced by our opting in to the series of EU legislative proposals that I outlined earlier.
He also said that “we do not want to see a situation where people from Ukraine in different EU countries are looking around saying let us head to Ireland or Czechia as there are better services there, or there is more preferential treatment in one country over another.”
“We want to ensure that there is a harmonised response across the Union to how this process is terminated.
“It is important for Ireland to opt-in to these three proposals to ensure Ireland’s immigration system is robust, but also it is effective and efficient. Opting-in will underline Ireland’s commitment to EU values and support for the EU’s migration system. It would demonstrate Ireland’s continued solidarity with our EU partners. It would also show that we have a harmonised agreed approach in response to the big challenge of asylum applications in respect of Europe in the 21st century.”
Responding, Deputy Matt Carthy said: “We are being asked to debate three distinct motions as part of one debate to facilitate an early opt-in to proposed EU regulations.
“Until yesterday afternoon, we were due to be dealing with four motions. The withdrawal of the motion on the returns regulation reinforces everything Sinn Féin has been saying, and which I will address here, about why we should not opt-in to these regulations under Article 3 of Protocol 21.
‘TO HAND THE GOVERNMENT A BLANK CHEQUE’
“It is astounding and concerning that the Government was planning to push through an Article 3 opt-in where it has now been revealed that Ireland’s manner of participation is still under discussion with EU counterparts.
“In explaining the late withdrawal of this motion, the Government has cited the “complexity of the hybrid legal basis” of the regulation, which has been constructed by the Commission as a hybrid measure with Ireland, Schengen states and Schengen associated states. The fact the Government had to pull this motion with 24 hours’ notice should be a wake-up call for anyone who thinks it makes sense to hand the Government a blank check to sign up to regulations by rushing through opt-ins under Article 3 of Protocol 21 when we have the option to do so later with more information under Article 4.”
“These are matters Sinn Féin believes should be dealt with by an Irish Government based on what is best for the country rather than through an EU-wide approach that will be heavily influenced by the needs of the larger EU states, which are also part of the Schengen area.”
“The IPAS system has become a cash cow for a golden circle who have made absolute fortunes from taxpayers’ moneys with virtually no transparency or accountability.
“Communities have lost important facilities and services have become overstretched from this failed approach. We cannot have confidence that the asylum decisions that are being made are being enforced or that those who are not entitled to be in Ireland are actually leaving the country.”
“The Government’s response to the migration challenges we face is to give a blank cheque to the EU to set our policies. The very fact that the Minister withdrew one of the four proposed regulations due to legal concerns should raise a bright red flag to every Member of this Chamber who intends to vote for the other three. Once we sign up we can never opt out, regardless of the final text agreed, even when it is blatantly not in Ireland’s interest.
‘THE GOVERNMENT CHOSE TO GIVE THAT CHOICE AWAY’
Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins told the debate that he was speaking to the Minister not just as leader of his party or on behalf of his constituents, but on behalf of the “tens of thousands of people across this country who feel ultimately betrayed by a Government that has wilfully ceded Irish sovereignty, ignored countless opinion polls and placed the interest of Brussels and bureaucracy above the basic needs of its own citizens.”
“The Government had the option – the legal right under the Lisbon treaty – to opt out of the EU migration pact. Instead, it rolled over and surrendered. It signed us up to binding quotas, border detention policies and an EU-managed asylum system that will dictate whom we accept and how we manage our own borders. We had a choice and the Government chose to give that choice away,” Collins said.
People Before Profit’s Deputy Paul Murphy, on the other hand, claimed that the basis for designating countries as safe is “inherently flawed.”
“It is based on current recognition rates for people applying for asylum from those countries. The regulation we are being asked to approve states that there is, in general, no risk of “persecution or serious harm”, within the meaning of Regulation No. 2024/1347, in Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia, as well as the potential EU candidate Kosovo, as shown by the very low recognition rates.”
Similarly, Deputy Gary Gannon argued that “LGBTQI communities still face criminalisation and violence” in some designated safe countries.
“The proposed list includes countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Bangladesh and India, but we know, and I presume the Government knows, that these countries are not safe for everyone.
“LGBTQI communities still face criminalisation and violence. Religious minorities and political dissidents are regularly targeted. Being from a stable country does not mean one is from a safe country,” he said.