I beg the indulgence of the Ceann Comhairle for a brief moment to refute what the Tánaiste has said about Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017. We are entitled to represent our constituents, and when there is a bad legislation, it should be opposed. It is damaging to rural Ireland and has not been rural-proofed.

Almost 14,000 people have tried to enter this country illegally since 2014. There has been a huge increase year on year. In 2014, it was 2,000, then it increased to 4,000. These people are roaming around, and all they have to do while they await an assessment, is sign on at a local Garda station. The Garda stations are not there, and there are no gardaí in them. This is farcical. Some 14,000 people have attempted to come in illegally, and we are talking about what is happening in America and elsewhere. We should mind our own shores, protect our own people and families and have this dealt with immediately. What actions are being taking by the Tánaiste to deal with this?

There is a difference between filibustering and voting against legislation.

Hear, hear.

If the Deputy does not agree with the legislation, he should vote against it, but he should not hold up the democratic will of this House-----

We will not be bullied or browbeaten.

-----which is aimed at saving lives.

It is bad legislation. The Government has abandoned rural Ireland.

The Tánaiste was not even here for the debate.

The Deputies should allow the Tánaiste to speak.

I listened to the Deputy.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is a lone ranger with dog's dinner legislation.

The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017 is being introduced to save lives in counties such as Tipperary.

The Tánaiste is playing that card again. It is bad legislation.

Deputy, please.

If the Deputy believes it is bad legislation, he should vote against it and let democracy take its course.

When I speak about Ireland abroad, I am proud of the fact that we have never, in my political lifetime, chosen to use migration or immigration as a source of political division or to create fear across society.

Hear, hear.

I hope that will continue. We should not talk about how we manage people who come to Ireland illegally in the context of protecting our society. That is done by An Garda Síochána, which does a good job of protecting citizens.

It is a joke.

People who come to Ireland illegally do so either to claim asylum or because they are economic migrants, and we have systems to ensure that we can test the difference between both. We should focus on those systems rather than creating ambiguity or grey areas that play on the fears of citizens.

Hear, hear.