Withdrawal of the State from the Migration and Asylum Pact of the European Union Bill 2026: First Stage

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the withdrawal of the State from European Union legislative measures comprised in the Migration and Asylum Pact of the European Union; and to provide for related matters. Six years ago, we in Aontú, called for a proper debate on the issue of immigration. We were the first party to do so in this House. We said very clearly that if there is not a debate that the issue will not go away. It will be pushed underground. It will be used by ne'er-do-wells to cause trouble in the country. We were attacked at that time by pretty much every single political party. Now, most of the parties have moved onto the same ground as ourselves but there are still major differences. The EU migration pact is one of them. The EU migration pact hands over Irish sovereignty on a key issue to the EU. The EU will determine in future the numbers of people who will come to Ireland, the number people we must accept through the asylum process, and it allows Brussels to determine the money that we must pay in lieu of accepting those same applicants. Already the Government is putting away €9 million for fines that it expects next year as a result of that pact. We have received legal advice from the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisors and the European Commission that it may not be possible to withdraw from the opt-in. However, we have also received different legal opinions. We know that if there are future changes to the EU migration pact and how it is run we still a constitutional right to opt-out. We also know that countries like Poland, for example, have been given exemptions in relation to that pact. The reason that this Bill is being proposed by ourselves today on the floor of the Dáil is that we want to challenge and test the full limits of what this country has a right to do. Poland receives an exemption from the pacts because it has accepted 1 million Ukrainian people. Ireland currently has 1.2 million immigrants living in the State. A total of 23% of the population are from outside of the country. Ireland is an outlier in those terms. No other major European country has figures next nor near that. The only countries that come close are microstates where they have small populations and where small numbers can change the proportion significantly. Many of these people are living integrated and cohesively in this country. Many are working positively and putting their shoulder to the wheel. However, it is also putting significant pressure on the housing crisis. It is a foundation of economics. The supply and demand determine the price and availability. The Government has not been able to supply housing over the past number of years. By increasing the number of people coming into the country, we are pushing up prices currently. Incredibly, 42% of people on the Dublin housing waiting list are foreign born. That is making it harder for them and also for locals to be able to get a house. I urge the Government to accept this Bill.

It is an honour to introduce this Bill before the House to remove Ireland from the EU migration pact to restore Irish sovereignty over its borders. The decision to opt into the EU migration pact by this Government or the previous Government was reckless. The idea that the Government is unable to determine the future cost in terms of fines is incredible. Ireland has unique challenges in sharing a border with a non-EU country. It is extraordinary that this has never been addressed in relation to this pact. When the EU migration pact passed in the Dáil, it did so by a narrow majority. By my calculation, 59 of the TDs who voted that day are no longer TDs. They either retired or lost their seats. Newly elected TDs like myself have never had the opportunity to have our say in relation to the EU migration pact. The Irish people have never had a say either. We are the ones who are mandated by the sovereign people of Ireland. The previous Government seeded sovereignty in relation to our borders even though the Government is unable to tell us through parliamentary questions how much it will cost us in terms of fines. That is why we in Aontú are tabling this Bill to try to reverse that decision and return decisions over migration and our borders to the democratically elected Dáil. As Deputy Tóibín mentioned, Poland was given exemptions in relation to the migration pact. Those exemptions were necessary because of the extreme pressures that Poland was and is experiencing in relation to Ukrainian refugees. However, Ireland is experiencing very acute challenges as well, such as the fact that 23% of the population of this country are foreign born, that we have such an immense housing crisis and that the services in terms of education and health are at capacity. These are factors that should be accounted for. I refer the EU migration pact-----

-----and the primary criteria in terms of GDP, which is incredibly------

-----inflated in this country.

Not opposed.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."