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

I take that on board. I am aware of the scheme but this decision was obviously taken before it came into effect. One would imagine that discretion would have been beneficial in the circumstances outlined, at that stage at least. As I have said, it may have been appealed but at that stage it was felt that the application for family reunification was not well founded. There is something that needs to be kept under review there. The criticism has been made by some of the NGOs that an adversarial approach exists. That is worth deliberating on and considering.

I have a final set of questions, which I will ask together. There is crossover with the Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, in these questions but I would like the witnesses to answer as well as they can. Two specific points relating to direct provision were raised recently. By and large I welcome the decision to opt into the recast reception conditions directive but there are still issues in respect of direct provision. One relates to a reception centre - I believe it is in Newbridge but I am not totally sure - and the prohibition of the use of phones and electronic devices after a certain time. That seems very restrictive. This is not meant to be a location of detention or anything like that. People should have liberty and flexibility to do things like that.

There is a more serious issue. I grant this is not properly corroborated so if this is not the case, this is an opportunity to put the record right. There was some speculation that residents in direct provision centres may not have access to free drinking water at all times and they may have to purchase drinking water. I accept that some of the reports on Twitter were withdrawn or something similar. I am providing an opportunity to clarify the issue. If that is not the case, the witnesses should take the opportunity to put it right because it is important that they do so.

My final two questions are on a different area. I ask the witnesses to respond to them all together. They relate to the North and issues in respect of applications for visas there. I have two different examples. Sinn Féin's Members of the Legislative Assembly in the North are becoming aware of cases of non-EU citizens who are resident in the North and are seeking naturalisation as Irish citizens and who have children who are Irish citizens. Their children have Irish passports and were born on this island, but the parents were not. They are non-EU citizens. They are having significant difficulty in naturalising as Irish citizens despite the fact that their children are Irish citizens and are entitled to an Irish passport.

The second issue relates to an Irish citizen who was seeking a visa for their partner to live in the North. This person is an Irish citizen but I understand the person was asked to get a British passport in order to get a visa for their partner. That second case may cross over with British jurisdiction and so on but what ties the cases together and what seems to be unclear is the issue of Irish citizenship. People are entitled to it but how do they vindicate that right? Aside from the passport, how does somebody who was born in the North vindicate his or her right to Irish citizenship? That seems to be a theme tying the issues together. I can clarify that further if the witnesses need me to.