Council of the European Union Decision: Motions
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Joe Conway (IND), Cultural and Educational Panel

Is aoibhinn liom a bheith anseo inniu. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire, an Teachta O’Callaghan, arís chuig an Teach seo don díospóireacht úsáideach atá idir lámha againn tráthnóna.
Even as I stand here as an Independent Senator, I do not carry a remit from my Independent colleagues. All the Members of the House will understand that. If I were, however, to wager a sense of the level of conversation held among our group, I would pretty confidently guess, that this proposal would not meet with broad approval from the group. There may, of course, be exceptions, and I would not like to speak precipitously on behalf of anybody, but the House will understand that.
From my own perspective, I think this is clearly very judicious legislation to put through these Houses. In common with our European partners, we are all striving to get a handle on this business of immigration and illegal residency. We see all the disasters happening around us in the world. Apart from the immediate pain, suffering and trauma caused by these things, we know that further down the line, people who have been dispossessed and impoverished as a result of these disasters will be looking to emigrate to places like Ireland that have a high standard of living and offer a tenable future. People always wish that for their children. Parents are no different in Afghanistan or Nepal than they are in Ireland. Every one of us wants the best for our children and that is the impetus that motivates an awful lot of migration. It is the sense of desperation that people suffer in these countries that are downtrodden and corrupt and have a legion of things wrong with them that cause them to look to the sunny uplands of places like Ireland, the UK and prosperous countries in Western Europe, along with the United States. They look to the dream of having a comfortable existence, a roof over their head, a health service, a wage packet, a place to call their own, and the ability to sustain a dream, not just for themselves but for their children and for children in the generations to come.
I think the Minister is pushing at an open door in this regard. The proposal is timely and sensibly drafted and I welcome that. I have two small questions to raise. I was delighted to hear the Minister advert to the fact that there is great co-operation from Nigeria in relation to this legislation.
It charms me to hear that.
In freedom of information requests we can see what it costs to charter a long-haul airline to take 70 people back to Nigeria, for example. We see some astronomical figures. Do the State and taxpayers bear the full brunt of that charge or do recipient countries channel into that? At some stage, do we have to sweeten the deal with countries by asking them to part-finance the undoubted financial burden they will undertake when they are trying to reintegrate their own people into a society they may have been away from for ten, 15 or 20 years? In the spirit of openness, I would like my questions answered. If there is some reason such information cannot be conveyed to the House, I understand that perfectly. I would welcome the information. Godspeed with the legislation on this occasion.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29