Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On his last point, the Minister has said they are choosing not to leave. That is because they have nowhere else to go. The alternative is to live on the street, which is not very attractive. Is there anyone monitoring conditions in the centres? I know that it costs money to maintain them, but a lot of money is being handed to the private sector to run them. By all accounts, from what we are being told, they are hovels. Does the State actually monitor conditions in the accommodation the private entities are providing?

The Minister has made the point that we have international obligations to maintain. Obviously, there are people coming into the country who are moving into direct provision centres. The numbers are going up because so few are coming out of the centres. The Minister can say they are choosing not to do so, but he cannot walk away from the fact that the Government has failed to deal with the housing crisis. That is why 600 people who are free to walk out have nowhere else to go, apart from the street. I think we all agree that direct provision centres leave a lot to be desired, but it also leaves a lot to be desired that the Government has done bugger all about actually trying to improve things or change the procedures through which the people concerned have to go. Is there any forward thinking or plan to do things a little differently?