Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)

You can clarify that in the closing remarks but what is on the record is crystal clear, Minister. This is a reckless and not thought-through approach and the public would be absolutely astonished at this. We are in a unique position. We share a common travel area with Britain as we have for the guts of a century. We have considerations that no other country has because of that travel area. It is my view that it is a mistake not to ensure we have flexibility. If we are tied in to the EU system entirely we reduce our ability to respond and legislate in a bilateral way with Britain. We are not blind to the necessity of international co-operation where that is necessary and where it makes sense. We would and do support measures that are in the interest of Ireland where we believe international co-operation makes sense. We have to be able to return those who seek to make an asylum application here to the first country where an international protection applicant has made a claim. That is why we support opting into the asylum and migration management regulation. We have to be able to access the fingerprint database at Eurodac and all the data associated with that to ensure we have information on who enters the State and to assist with vetting, conducting checks, tackling child trafficking and returning asylum seekers where appropriate. That is why we support the Eurodac regulation which makes provision for those legislative powers. However, we will oppose opting into the measures that are not helpful and which give powers to the EU and will tie the hands of future Irish Governments. We oppose opting into the procedures regulation, the crisis and force majeure regulation, the qualifications directive, the reception conditions directive and the EU resettlement framework. We do so because we are opposed to the Government's plan to opt Ireland in fully to the migration pact. This is an issue of Irish sovereignty and flexibility into the future. Signing up to the migration pact will tie the hands of future Irish Governments. There are decisions that are better to be made in Ireland and the Minister herself has outlined the various things she believes she can do without the migration pact. It is our view that much more can still be done.

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