Migration and Citizenship: Statements Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30 ============================================================ David Cullinane (SF), Waterford I start by acknowledging the hugely positive contribution that many people who have come from outside of Ireland to live here have played. I say that as Sinn Féin's health spokesperson, obviously deeply conscious of all of those who work in our hospitals and in primary and community care settings. Our healthcare system simply would not function if it was not for many people who have come from outside of the country on work permits. They were welcomed into Ireland and are necessary to help us deal with the challenges we have in the healthcare system but also to make sure people get the healthcare and treatment they need. I thank each and every one of them and everybody who works in our health services. The Minister of State made the point that the question is not about whether immigration happens. It does happen. It happens in every country. It is a fact of life. The question is how it is managed. This is a point of departure from where my party stands and, I would argue, the track record of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government. I do not believe it has properly managed the migration system. The impact of that has been that many people have lost confidence. They do not see the system as working. They see the profiteering. They see the inequalities in it at times. People who work or live in working-class communities can see that they are the ones who are always asked to do the heavy lifting when the resources are often not there. In fact, these communities are very welcoming. Lots of promises are made in relation to additional resources and capacity but it never follows though. That creates resentment and anger and it creates opportunities for some of those so-called false patriots Deputy Carthy talked about who pedal mistruths about Sinn Féin's position every single day. However, they are not representative of the vast majority of decent working-class people who are welcoming of those who are genuinely coming into Ireland seeking to work and fleeing oppression and war and so on. They want to be welcoming. The issue is whether we are properly managing our migration system. For those of us who believe in a rules-based system, which I do although I do not know the position of every political party in this House, the rules have to be applied. As difficult at times as that may be for some people, the rules have to be applied. You cannot say you want a managed migration system and a rules-based system but then turn a blind eye to the rules not being implemented. That is also what creates resentment among communities. They want the system to be fair, as I do. They want a system which is efficient, as I do, but they also want a system which is enforced. When I talk about a fair system, I mean a fair system for those who are seeking to come to Ireland as well. Any migration system has to be underpinned by human rights, equality and all of the international obligations we have signed up to, but also has to be fair to communities. It has to be fair in not having a two-tier system of immigration - which we have seen as well and that has also caused problems - where some who come into Ireland are treated differently from others. That position is unsustainable and also creates difficulties and tensions. I want a fair system but when I talk about an efficient system, that means we do not have people coming here and then waiting years and years for an application to be processed. Despite the fact that this has been said over and over again in this House, and promises have been made about speeding up the system and more resources and staff, the reality is it still takes far too long. That undermines the very rules-based system and the "managed migration system" the Minister of State said he wants to see. It should not take years for an application to be examined, yet it does. The enforced part of it is that if somebody applies for international protection and is refused they should be returned home safely. It should not be controversial to say that. It is not right wing. I have to challenge and push back against those who make those arguments. As I said, we cannot have it both ways. We cannot say we want a managed system but then do not want to see it enforced. I also believe we need to have a bilateral agreement with Britain and a returns policy. We have to make sure we are protecting the island of Ireland and ensure we are doing greater checks when it comes to people who are coming into and onto the island of Ireland and moving between different parts of the island. That will also require stronger arrangements with Britain. I will finish where I started. I welcome and acknowledge the hugely positive contribution that so many immigrants have played, and will continue to play, in Ireland, but I also acknowledge that people want that managed system to be in place, to be working effectively and fairly and they do not see that at this point. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-30