Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of the direct provision centres. When will a point be reached when Members deal with this issue? There are considerable human rights concerns in this regard. A debate on the issue took place recently on "Prime Time" and it clearly is not acceptable as an accommodation option into the future. On the departure of the former Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, it was notable that she believed the area of immigrants, housing, applications and so on should come under the remit of the Ombudsman. She referred in her speech to direct provision centres and as European Ombudsman, she is now a person of international reputation in respect of defending citizens' rights and human rights. I suggest to the Minister that this system cannot be stood over. In particular, the core difficulty is the length of time people must stay within such centres. I have listened to some asylum seekers who acknowledged the possibility of it being just for a period of three or six months. The problem is linked to the system of appeals. Is there a way of fast-tracking the system or reshaping and dealing with it in such a way that people do not spend years in such accommodation, with very little income or freedom while eating food that in some instances is not that to which they are culturally accustomed? What is the Minister's vision in respect of moving away from that model?