In 2024, before I was a Member of this House, many TDs and Senators raised concerns about the EU migration pact. It was passed by a slim majority of seven votes in the Dáil Chamber. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, has repeatedly stated that a large number of asylum seekers enter the State via the North of Ireland. When challenged on how this issue could be addressed, the Minister stated the only way to stop it completely would be to impose a hard border. If that is the Minister's assessment of the challenge we face, I wonder why we have signed up to a pact that will do practically nothing to address our issues with migration.

The solidarity mechanism in the pact is presented as burden sharing but it is backed by financial penalties and obligations that could require Ireland to accept applications for which we would not ordinarily have responsibility under international law. Poland has secured a reduction in its solidarity obligations because of the migratory pressures it faces. In fact, 16 of the 27 EU states are under, or at risk of, similar pressures. If more and more member states qualify for exemptions or reductions, who will carry the burden?

Our GDP creates a false image of the State as a wealthy European country but the reality is that our infrastructure is weak and our services, from health to education, are on their knees. Has the Government sought a reduction in quota allocations given the pressure Ireland is under? Only six months ago, the justice committee made a cross-party recommendation to the Government asking it to reconsider the decision to opt into the EU migration pact. Members clearly believed opting out was still a viable option and yet that recommendation was ignored. Why?

Back in 2024, then Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, assured people the pact would not prevent a future Government exercising sovereign flexibility. If Ireland is not forced into these arrangements, the Government currently should employ all mechanisms available to opt out of the pact.