I want to start by saying that our thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria at this difficult time. I wish to speak, in the same vein as the previous speaker, about the rise in racism in this country. I am sure the Taoiseach agrees the racist sentiment which is growing and has become a lot more mainstream in Ireland in recent months is incredibly concerning and needs to be addressed urgently. The far right is doing a great job of exploiting the public's real and legitimate fears and using them to stoke racist hatred. It is doing this under the guise of Irishness and nationalism but the ideas being spread could not be more anti-Irish.

Emigration has been a massive part of Irish history and identity, and to ignore this aspect of ourselves is to ignore what it means to be Irish. We know that 1 million Irish people emigrated during the Famine and we also know how badly many of our migrant ancestors were treated during this very difficult time in Irish history. Yet, when history repeats itself in other countries, when they are facing war and famine just as we did, we turn our backs on immigrants and, in doing so, we turn our backs on our ancestors as well. This is not only shameful, it is also hypocritical because emigration did not only define Irish identity 200 years ago but has continued to define us ever since. My parents emigrated in the 1960s and I was an economic migrant in the 1980s when I went to England to work, support myself and have a better quality of life. The only difference is that I could legally enter England at that time. This is all immigrants to our country look for: the opportunity to have a better quality of life. We have never been denied this so why should we deny anyone else this opportunity?

A RED C survey five months ago showed that 70% of young people here were considering moving abroad for a better quality of life elsewhere. How can we accept this while at the same time condemning anyone living in Ireland for the exact same reasons? How is it that we have become so hypocritical? The sad reality is that the State plays a role in this, subtly at times but more obviously at other times. The remarks of some Government backbenchers of late have attested to this and some opportunists in opposition have fed into the dangerous narrative that Ireland is full, despite the fact our population has not yet returned to pre-Famine levels and we have more than 150,000 vacant homes in this country.

There is no doubt the Government is using this rise in racism to protect itself. Culture wars are in the Government's interest because they stop communities organising around the things that actually matter to them, like housing, unemployment and the climate crisis. As long as we are pointing the finger at immigrants and asylum seekers, we are not organising around the things that matter and are not pointing the finger at those who are actually at fault. The reality is that if every migrant left Ireland tomorrow, we would still have a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis and a crisis in our healthcare system. In fact, the latter would probably be even worse because so many economic migrants work in our healthcare system and keep it functioning.

Will the Government take responsibility for the fact its failed policies have caused the housing and healthcare crises in this country, leading to a rise in the alt right?

There are many reasons the country faces a housing crisis and a health crisis. Almost every country in the developed world is facing some form of housing or health crisis. Governments in those countries are doing their best to deal with them, and that is exactly what we are doing here. It is our responsibility to put things right and we will do the best we can to do so. Again, I would ask the Deputy not to inadvertently make excuses for the far right or for racists. No matter what problem a country faces, and every country has some problem, the far right will blame that problem on the other, on the brown man or the brown woman. I ask the Deputy to please not inadvertently make excuses for them by pursuing the line of argument he is pursuing at the moment.

I agree with the Deputy that Irish people understand migration better than most. Most of our families are formed by migration. My father came here from India. My mother is from Ireland but they met when they worked in the NHS in England. My sister lives in London. Every story of every Irish family is one of migration of some form or another. So many of my relatives live in the US. We understand migration better than most. We understand that, by and large, migration has been good for Ireland.

The big tech companies that pay billions of euro in tax and allow our country to function the way it does have a very diverse international workforce. Those companies are not just here because of our favourable tax rates. One of the reasons they come here is that we are open to talent from all over the world. In any Irish hospital, it can be seen how diverse the workforce is there. Our public services simply would not function were it not for the fact that people come from other parts of the world to work here. We know how much migration has enriched our culture and made Ireland a much more interesting place in recent decades. That is why we should always emphasise the fact that countries that are open to migration tend to be countries that are wealthier, more successful and more stable, and that is why we should continue to be open to migration.

There is a difference, though, between legal migration and illegal migration, and we should not be afraid to say that. There are many legal pathways to migration into Ireland. Last year, 30,000 Irish citizens returned home. Any Irish citizen can, of course, come and live in Ireland. UK citizens can do the same. Every year, tens of thousands, if not more, EU citizens come to live in Ireland. They can live anywhere in the European Union but they choose to come and live in Ireland, largely because of the economic opportunities we have to offer. Last year alone, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment issued 40,000 work permits, the highest number ever, to people from outside the European Union who are coming here to take up employment or to study. We should encourage people to avail of the many legal pathways to come into the county, including those I have outlined.

The Taoiseach did well for the first half of his reply. I was agreeing with much of what he was saying, but then he went and pulled out these tropes again that have been fired out everywhere, even by his backbenchers, regarding illegal immigrants coming to Ireland. The reality is, and the Taoiseach should check that with the Department of Justice, which is not the most friendly towards immigrants, that anybody who comes here and claims asylum is a legal immigrant. Those people are complying with the law. They come here and they claim asylum. That is legal.

Hear, hear.

The Taoiseach should say and acknowledge that because it is vital. The right is using this trope throughout the country to attack certain people and put an image out there that those people are illegal immigrants who are coming here in hordes and taking over our country.

Well said.

The Taoiseach should say it straight that that is what it is. Those people are legally here to claim asylum. They work and live here under our system. We are responsible for their safety when they are here. If the Taoiseach could acknowledge that, it would do an awful lot in terms of putting it right. He should say it constantly because it needs to be said. His backbenchers need to say it as well. They have been saying the wrong thing in public and in the media and that is wrong and should not be continued. Everyone has a role to play in making this right.

I am happy to say that here. People who come here from Ukraine are beneficiaries of temporary protection. They have legal status and a right to be here.

And asylum seekers.

People who come here who claim international protection have legal status. They are here legally-----

Why did the Taoiseach lie earlier on, then?

I did not say that, Deputy. I ask the Deputy to withdraw that.

I will withdraw it. Why did the Taoiseach say the exact opposite earlier on?

The Deputy has withdrawn the remark, Taoiseach.

The Deputy should let the Taoiseach answer.

I did not, Deputy. People who come to Ireland and apply for international protection have legal status. They have legal status until such time as their application is determined. If it is determined that they have protection, then it is legal for them to stay here. If it is determined that they do not get that protection, it is only at that point that they become illegal.