Editorial: We must be open and honest about how much we can actually do for asylum-seekers

Consistency and sustainability have been glaringly missing from the ad hoc approach adopted to date.

Initially, there were mitigating factors, as numbers arriving were unprecedented as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. While there must be no diminution in our determination to shelter and protect those fleeing Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion, we must be practical and fair in not over-committing.

Our accommodation crisis and the surge in the number of people arriving here have exposed the lack of strategy in managing new arrivals.

We have an obligation to keep people safe and provide the basics for survival, but resources are finite and have to be balanced against real needs.

The precise criteria which have to be met must be adhered to unambiguously. A structured and transparent even-handed approach, treating all humanely, must then be implemented uniformly. People must be processed and assessed speedily and respectfully.

Mr Harris is correct to assert that we remain compassionate and committed to helping those we can.

But there is a corresponding need to be crystal clear that we cannot be a “soft touch” or that we can have open borders to embrace all.

Good intentions seldom suffice and generally sell short those depending on them. The lessons from the shambolic direct provision debacle need to be understood. Too many are now “trapped” because they can neither find – let alone afford – alternative accommodation. It is a textbook example of what happens when temporary emergency measures are allowed to become permanent.

“Ireland benefits from migration, but at the same time we have to make sure that our system is working,” Mr Harris said. But right now, that “system” is malfunctioning. In terms of welfare and accommodation, there are indefensible anomalies.

Benefits are to be cut and this must be done fairly. The old and young must be prioritised. People’s lives are in play and we have a duty of care. But we also have a responsibility in managing expectations. The clearing of tents one day, only for them to be replaced by new encampments 24 hours later, speaks to the current chaos and confusion.

Coincidentally, yesterday also saw the EU endorse sweeping reforms to the bloc’s outdated asylum system in Brussels. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum is the culmination of eight years of work.

It will rewrite the rulebook for handling people who enter Europe without authorisation.

It offers firm guidelines for screening people to establish whether they qualify for some kind of protection. Ireland also needs to be abundantly clear, open and honest about what we can and cannot do, before committing to others.​