Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that. The point I am making is that it needs to be talked through now for several reasons. The first reason is that the decisions made in this jurisdiction in respect of social protection are not necessitated by the directive. These decisions have been taken independently here. Similarly, the decisions on the elapsing of that can be taken here as well. The Minister suggested that people could apply to IPAS. If such persons are considered fresh applicants in that regard, they would be placed on the international protection payment rather than having full access to the social protection system as they currently enjoy. They would potentially drop down to that payment. Alternatively, they may apply for a work visa and may be successful in that regard. A lot of them would be successful if they were to make such an application. Many of those in question will make a significant contribution for decades to come, and that will be very welcome, but we need to figure out exactly will be done in respect of the temporary protection directive, the social welfare decisions that have been taken on foot of the directive and how we will deal with the situation after next May. A year is not a very long time in that context. A discussion needs to be happening now. This committee can be part of that discussion on how we prepare for that transition. There is no clear plan for a transition at the moment.