Ireland should be a country where every child is safe going to bed at night. The attack on the home of the women and children in Drogheda at the weekend shocked the nation. People are asking how has it come to this, and how could anyone try to burn and kill children while they sleep. It is vitally important that all of us show leadership. Words matter. The Tánaiste's words matter. Where misinformation is spread, we must challenge it. Where there are attempts to sow hate and division, we must build cohesion. Leadership means bringing calm to a debate, not inflaming it. The Tánaiste has said that migration, outside of the number of international protection applicants, is too high. What sectors will he be targeting to reduce the number of migrant workers? Will he be targeting multinationals, pharmaceutical and tech companies? The Tánaiste knows well that these sectors provide a huge amount of employment and taxation which funds our public services. Will the Tánaiste be targeting the health and care sectors? If it was not for migrants working as doctors, nurses and carers, these services would crumble. Will the Tánaiste be targeting the large number of migrant workers that our food processing sector relies on? How would a shortage of workers in this sector impact on grocery prices? I doubt somehow that the Tánaiste will target the hospitality and tourism sectors. Which cafés, pubs, restaurants or hotels would the Government close? Is the Government thinking of reducing the supply of construction workers? This would have a detrimental effect on our ability to build the homes that are needed, the schools and hospitals. Which major infrastructure projects would the Tánaiste shelve? It is migrants who do essential work as security guards, cleaners and shop workers. Does Government think we can somehow do without these essential workers? Migrants play a critical role in our economy and our society. It is not just as doctors, nurses or carers - they bring skills and expertise to a wide range of sectors and contribute significant levels of taxation that fund our public services. Migrants are not just critical to our economy; they contribute to communities, culture and sport. They are our friends, our family members and our neighbours. I welcome the news that Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York. In his victory speech on Tuesday night he said, "New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant." It is a powerful reminder that immigration is not a threat; it is a source of strength. As the Tánaiste will know, many of the immigrants who built New York came from Ireland. We should show the same pride in the people helping to build and power our country now. We have an ageing population, which means that our reliance on migrant workers will only increase in years to come.
Sentiment score: 0.10
We need these workers to keep our public services running, to ensure our elderly are cared for, to keep businesses open and to keep tax revenues flowing. Has the Tánaiste thought this through? Which sectors of the economy will he be targeting for reductions in migrant workers?
Sentiment score: 0.22
We do need to look at the facts, and the Tánaiste knows them well. The Government published a report this week saying that to meet housing demand alone, we need at least 50,000 additional construction workers. The Tánaiste also knows the facts about our ageing population. Again, the report pointed to the situation that we will soon have a reduction in the numbers in our workforce who will be able to support people who are retired, to pay for pensions and to care for our elderly. The Tánaiste knows these facts. Unless there is a miraculous baby boom, we are going to need more and more migrant workers to help support our public services and our economy, to care for our elderly and to contribute to society, and that is a good thing. Migrant workers have played a very positive role in Ireland and we are going to continue to need that. We are talking about cutting off some of the supply of workers that we need in different parts of our economy. I have listed off a range of areas where migrants are essential. I challenge the Tánaiste to say where he will reduce the supply of migrant workers. Is it in housing, health, pharma or tech? What area of the economy does the Tánaiste think can do with fewer migrant workers? Let us stick to the facts. Where does the Tánaiste think there is an oversupply in the workforce at the moment?
Sentiment score: 0.15
Answer the question.
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Where in the economy can we do with fewer people?
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We need more people to build homes.
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