Laois Offaly TD told pause button can't be pressed on immigration

Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, has called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to engage with Ireland’s EU partners in effort to find some legal mechanism through which she says unsustainable levels of immigration and international protection applications can be paused.

Dep Nolan issued a statement after she raised the matter during in the Dáil with the Taoiseach who said people need to be 'honest' as it is not something that can be stopped.

Dep Nolan outlined what she said to the Taoiseach on the occasion of his last day taking Leader's Questions in the Dáil as Taoiseach on December 13.

“I put it to the Taoiseach that 100 years after the birth of the Irish Free State, the Dáil, which sits at the heart of our democracy, should be a forum in which members are free to discuss issues which are of grave concern to the people we are here to represent.

“It is my hope that we can do so in a sensitive, but robust manner and that our parliament can avoid becoming a place where there are unspoken rules that discourage certain questions being raised and where group think or complicity in silence becomes the order of the day.”

“For an increasing number of people, one of the issues that is demanding of more serious and frank levels of open debate is that of immigration, the impact that this is having on housing, health care and education and indeed the apparent dysfunctionality that surrounds our entire asylum application process.

“As policy issues, these must be treated like any other areas, where a clear assessment of successes and failures can be discussed. They cannot and must not become no go areas in terms of our political discourse.

“Unfortunately, that is what appears to be happening. If I try to raise concerns I am accused, absurdly and ridiculously, of trying to tear apart the fabric of social cohesion.

“I am deeply concerned about the pressure and the anger that is building up in communities relating to the way in which the state has chosen to house those seeking international protection. I am more than alarmed that despite our obvious capacity deficits and the scale of the emergency, up to a hundred applicants were still in tented accommodation until a few days ago, in freezing temperatures.

“We are at the tipping point of a real and profound social catastrophe.

“The rate of people entering the country from states designated as safe by the EU is increasing by hundreds of percent in some cases. Our hotels are at maximum capacity. Our emergency accommodation is beyond breaking point. Our own homeless numbers are breaking records. Yet still there seems to be no plan to press the pause button,” she said.

The Laois Offaly representative wants the Government to engage with other EU countries to find some legal mechanism in which Ireland can "press pause.”

“We have to adopt a new approach particularly with respect to those coming from states designated as safe by the EU itself. We have to press pause. It is a painful but obvious truth that we must recognise,” concluded Dep Nolan.

The Taoiseach told Dep Nolan that there is a robust migration policy within the State.

"We consistently monitor the situation concerning those seeking asylum in the country. When people come into the country to seek asylum, there is a process to deal with that. There is no choice but to deal with it once an application comes in.

"I assure the Deputy that, at the European Council meeting this week, the issue of migration will be on the agenda, although it was not initially. Other countries are raising it because of the general increase in migration across Europe, apart altogether from the situation in Ukraine.

"To my mind, the fundamental way to address these issues is at source, having regard to the societies people are seeking to leave. Questions need to be asked as to why they are seeking to leave. It may be because of authoritarianism, conflict or war. It may also be because of climate change, which is creating a migration trail as many areas are now experiencing the ravages of drought and various other weather events. Such events are creating real crises in many communities across the world. It is a very challenging situation.

"We need to be honest with ourselves and people more generally. It is not something you can stop; it is not that simple at all," said Mr Martin.