David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is fair to say, notwithstanding the fact that people have their accommodation, food and medical needs provided for directly along with very low rates of subsistence, it is not a desirable medium to long-term solution. There are individual freedoms a person does not have because he or she is in a centre. We have the figures on how long people are in these centres and I will get to those in a second. Obviously, there is a direct correlation between the asylum process and the length of time it takes to process claims and how long people stay in the system. The Department is responsible for the asylum applications process. What work has been done recently or what changes have been made in recent years to speed up the asylum process and ensure applications can be processed more quickly so that people are less dependent on direct provision, one way or another? If asylum is granted, the person is a refugee who can work and enjoy those freedoms they do not have in direct provision centres. What changes have been made in recent years to speed up the process and what is the average wait time for someone who applies to have an adjudication on his or her application?