Simon Harris said he is open to a controversial migration reform that would involve deporting asylum seekers to third countries.
The proposed policy has been put forward by the European People’s Party (EPP), of which Fine Gael is a member.
The proposal is similar to the UK’s Rwanda scheme, which involves removing some asylum seekers from Great Britain.
Asked if Fine Gael supports the proposal put forward by the EPP, Mr Harris said: “I think we should have a very open mind in relation to this because if we’ve learned anything about the migration challenges, that it is a global challenge.
“Indeed so much of the migration that we see here in Ireland – immigration is a good thing by the way, our country has benefited from it – but we do have to have rules and a rules-based system.
“So much of the migration and immigration that comes to Ireland is through secondary movements. So the idea that we wouldn’t have a composite look at migration, migration policy and law from a European level, to me just would seem absurd, and therefore that brings you into the space of looking at the borders of the European Union.
“But I think of course, it raises questions as to at what point and where you assess people’s application.
“The Migration Pact does deal with a lot of this. So it’s not simply a matter of the European People’s Party view. This has happened in some cases already within the European Union and Albania, I think Turkey on occasions as well.
“Anything that would have to happen in this space would have to be fully compliant with human rights law, and with the European Court of Human Rights as well.
“I think we should keep an open mind in relation to this but only if any such actions were proven to be beneficial to the overall migration pact and be in most important compliance with human rights.”
Ireland has been grappling with a sharp rise in the number of asylum seekers.
Last December, the Government said that it could no longer offer male asylum seekers state accommodation. Since then, encampments have sprung up in different parts of the city because of a lack of accommodation.
Mr Harris said he has “concerns” around some country’s migration policies and its compliance with human rights, however he refused to name which countries he was referring to.
“The crucial point that Ireland will always adopt, and I think there’s a political consensus around this point, is that anything that is done in relation to migration policy and processing has to be human rights compliant,” he said.
“There have been other countries, and I’m not referencing Australia, where we’d have very significant concerns around the compliance of their actions with the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) and human rights.
“This idea that Ireland, a small island on the geographic periphery of Europe, can consider how best to address the global migration challenge on its own rather than being part of a composite conversation, series of laws and processing systems at a European level to me would seem misplaced.”
By Cate McCurry and Cillian Sherlock, PA
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