Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It was really good to hear the witnesses' presentations to be reminded of issues that might have gone off our agenda for a while except perhaps particular cases with which we are all dealing. I could not agree more with the Chairman regarding the assumption that everybody is computer-literate and the frustration people feel when they make a phone call to be told press one for this and press two for something else and by the time they listen to the whole list, they have nearly forgotten what the particular ones were.

Regarding Safe Home Ireland, I always thought it was a really good system to bring back elderly Irish emigrants who probably emigrated at 14 or 15 years of age and probably spent their lives mainly in Great Britain. It is very sad to now hear that they are being affected by the housing crisis. The Indecon report is very comprehensive regarding what is done, what is to be done and what is in train. How confident are the witnesses that those issues will be progressed? If they had to identify the top one that would make the most significant difference, what one would they aim for?

Progressing temporary permission is common sense. Where is that at the moment? The committee can look at how it can support those but it certainly makes sense for that to be progressed. I have been involved with non-national migrants to Ireland. We have a lot of theory and argument about what should be happening and what is happening in theory but when we come to the reality, we see it is not happening. It sounds like this is happening in respect of Irish nationals who want to come home. There is a significant gap between what we say we are doing and what we are actually doing.

Regarding prisoners, again, we would have met the group previously and some of the chaplains when they were over here. What the witnesses have said has struck me yet we are continuing to extradite Irish and foreign prisoners to countries where we know conditions are horrendous. Some high-profile cases are going through the courts. Could the witnesses indicate where the delays are and what this committee can do to expedite the issues that are important for them? Nobody has been transferred here in two and half years. Even though the Minister has reactivated the inward applications, have the witnesses seen anyone coming back since the reactivation?