“A Call to Action and Unity: Forming Ireland’s Response to the Refugee and Migration Crisis”
Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests,
It is a pleasure to be here this morning at this important event. I would like to thank Brian Killoran of the Immigrant Council of Ireland for his very kind invitation to address you today.
This event is very timely and I am sure that it will be of immense practical use in ensuring effective communication between all of the parties with a responsibility for, or an interest in, the refugee and migration crisis.
The migrant and refugee crisis remains the greatest challenge currently facing the European Union. It rightly and necessarily remains a major focus for discussion at both the national and EU level and EU Heads of State and Government will have another detailed exchange on the matter at the European Council on 28-29 June. The issue is also being debated today by the Tánaiste and her EU counterparts at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
A key feature of the EU’s response to the crisis in 2015 was the establishment of an EU Resettlement Scheme and two emergency relocation Decisions which jointly aim to relocate from Italy and Greece over a two year period up to 160,000 persons in need of international protection.
From the outset, Ireland has been committed to playing our part in tackling the challenges posed by the migrant and refugee crisis. We are aware that many people are in desperate situations fleeing persecution and conflict. Recognising that we do not experience the same migratory pressures as other Member States, we voluntarily opted in to the two EU Relocation Decisions and have also pledged to admit 520 programme refugees under the EU Resettlement programme.
To coordinate our participation under these programmes, last September, the Government established under the auspices of the Department of Justice and Equality, the Irish Refugee Protection Programme under which we have agreed to accept up to 4,000 persons overall under the EU Relocation and Resettlement programmes.
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know what actions have been taken up to now on the progress we have made on providing protection for refugees and asylum seekers. In terms of the resettlement programme, we have already admitted 273 individuals this year and a further 247 refugees have been security cleared and are awaiting health screening. We expect them to arrive between July and September.
In terms of general criteria for resettlement, the focus guided by our UNHCR colleagues on the ground is on persons found to have particular vulnerabilities, including women and girls at risk, people with physical needs, victims of violence or torture, and refugees with serious medical needs. The case files of those people are then submitted to national authorities around the world, who select those they wish to meet and interview in person so that they may be considered for resettlement.
When Ireland makes a commitment to resettle refugees here, we are essentially making a commitment to each person for the person’s lifetime. We have already made a commitment to 520 people that we will welcome them to Ireland and will support them to build new lives here. That is a significant responsibility. We need to get the model right. We need to ensure that these people get the supports that they need to integrate into communities across Ireland. The Department of Justice and Equality is leading the process of supporting these people to settle in Ireland. It is funding resettlement workers in six counties to support those being resettled there at present. However, local authorities have also provided crucial assistance in sourcing housing for the refugees. Equally, Education and Training Boards across the country are providing training opportunities, particularly in terms of English language training. The HSE is also making health supports available. This is a crucial resource to the refugees, many of whom have complex health needs as they may not have had access to health services for years. So, as you can see, much is happening already. I am conscious, of course, that much more remains to be done.
Ireland has also committed to relocate more than 2,600 people by the end of 2017. The first relocated Syrian family of ten, who arrived in January, has been granted refugee status and is receiving our full support to assist in integration into Irish society. An additional 31 people have completed all checks, including security checks, and are expected to be relocated from Greece in the coming weeks. A further pledge has been made to Greece for an additional 40 people.
It should be recalled that the scale of the EU relocation programme, to relocate 160,000 over a two year period is unprecedented. Challenges in the operation of the programme at EU level have largely centred on two issues – the complexity of establishing the ‘hotspot’ locations in Greece and Italy; and misinformation being spread by the people smugglers which encourages migrants and asylum seekers not to cooperate with the registration process at the hotspots. Both of these issues are unfortunately outside of our control.
The pace of the relocation programme is expected to pick up significantly following the political agreement of the EU Heads of State or Government and Turkey under the EU-Turkey Statement of 18 March and the closure of the Western-Balkan migration route. The Greek asylum authorities estimate that they could guarantee a maximum throughput of 30-50 people to Ireland every 8 weeks. We have the capacity ready to accept these numbers.
Ireland continues to make all efforts to cooperate with the Greek and Italian authorities to give effect to the Relocation Decisions, as approved by the Oireachtas last year, and to support the work in the ‘hotspots’. To that end, the Department of Justice and Equality has already provided four experts to support the implementation of the programme, two in Italy and two in Greece and we remain open to providing further assistance upon request. We have also nominated Liaison Officers to both Italy and Greece to support the identification of relocation candidates.
Although Ireland has made an initial pledge of 20 persons to Italy, no relocations from Italy have yet taken place due to some technical difficulties which Ireland, along with some other Member States, is experiencing. Bilateral diplomatic efforts are being made to resolve the matter.
By the end of the Summer, under both the relocation and resettlement schemes, we will have admitted some 551 individuals, who, but for the actions of Government, would have remained in the most grave of conditions.
In addition to the role of our Liaison Officers already appointed to Italy and Greece, I believe it is important that we continue to foster positive working relationships with national authorities and to review the situation “on the ground” to ensure that we continue to respond in the most appropriate manner. With this in mind, the Programme Director for the Irish Refugee Protection Programme, John Roycroft, is currently in Greece to undertake a series of high level bilateral meetings with key Greek actors, including NGOs, in order both to express Ireland’s solidarity and to explore further ways in which the process of relocation can be expedited. John is accompanied by a senior official from the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the relocation team from Ireland who are in Greece to meet the next group of 40 asylum seekers who are due to relocate to Ireland in the coming weeks. I would also like to take this opportunity particularly to acknowledge the active assistance of colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, especially the Irish Ambassador to Greece, Noel Kilkenny, and his team in our Athens Embassy whose local knowledge and experience has been invaluable in all our endeavours to-date.
A further example of how Ireland is assisting in the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean in a meaningful way was the proposal recently announced by my colleague, the Minister for Defence, that the L.É Roisín would return to the Mediterranean Sea to resume humanitarian missions. The L.É Roisín will be working in support of Italian Navy rescue ships already operating in the area. Last year, the Irish Naval Service was responsible for the rescue of more than 8,000 migrants in the Mediterranean. This is an achievement of which we can rightfully be proud.
Ireland has also provided supports to areas particularly affected by instability and conflict. By the end of 2015, a total of €41 million had been provided towards assisting those displaced as a result of the Syrian crisis, including through participation in a Regional Development and Protection Programme in the Middle East.
Cooperation and solidarity is a key aspect of our response to the crisis. At EU-level, the Tánaiste and I will continue to promote Ireland’s active involvement in seeking to find humane solutions, in full respect of our international and EU obligations. We are on track to fulfil our commitments under the EU resettlement programme a full year in advance of the timeline for implementation. The preparatory work to put in place the logistical and operational framework in Ireland for the relocation programme has been finalised and we will continue to work proactively with our Greek and Italian colleagues to seek to implement our commitments in a timely fashion.
The Refugee Applications Commissioner and experts from the Department will be addressing you later as part of the panel discussions and will provide further detail and context around the issues that I have briefly touched upon this morning.
I understand the passions in this debate. I too share your interest in ensuring that refugees get the chance to have a new life here in Ireland. I also want things to work for those who come to Ireland. I want the refugees who come here to have a bright future here. That is my goal. I am working actively to that end, building on what has been achieved so far. I would ask you to support me in this work as together we can do more to pursue a better future for those refugees and asylum seekers who desperately need our help.
I wish you well in your discussions over the next two days at this important and timely event.