David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree that the accommodation centres have improved quite a bit. We continually strive to find new ways to improve the centres by, for example, opening crèches that children in the locality and children in the centres can use. That also facilitates integration. Another approach is through funding various sporting bodies that include asylum seekers from the centres in sport. Last year, Ballaghaderreen GAA club won an award for its work and other clubs and sporting organisations throughout the country do much of that.

More than 3,000 people in accommodation centres now prepare and cook their own meals in either their own accommodation or communal kitchens. The implementation of this recommendation of the McMahon report will continue until it is complete. We are rolling that out. It is a prerequisite of all new contracts to be awarded under the process.

We are developing a new set of standards. A draft has been prepared and a public consultation is under way. The standards will apply to all centres under contract to the Minister. Diageo has its learning-for-life programme and open-doors project to encourage and support asylum seekers and refugees to get jobs. We are working to see how we can link employers with asylum seekers who now have a right to work.

There is a lot going on. We have not finalised the implementation of all the McMahon report recommendations, but we are 95% of the way there. We continue to explore and look for new ways to improve matters. The two main issues are shortening the time to reach a final decision and, as either Deputy Clare Daly or Deputy Wallace said earlier, trying to facilitate and support people once they have status to move into the community and carry on with their lives.