Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I must do a radio interview at 11 a.m. and I apologise. I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee and for their very helpful submissions. So they are aware of the process we are engaged in, we are having extensive hearings and we will go on a visit to a direct provision centre on Friday and then we will produce a report. We want to include in the report recommendations we believe will improve the system as much as possible. We have to be practical about it also. We want to put forward recommendations we believe can be adopted and implemented. Today, we have heard many recommendations from the witnesses. Ms Ward mentioned unannounced HIQA visits and vulnerability assessments, about which we have heard previously. There are also issues with regard to entitling people in direct provision to access to driver licences and bank accounts. These are fundamental simple issues that we should be able to deal with and that the State should implement.

I wish to ask Ms Ward and Ms Ahern about the issues they raised regarding 16 year olds for whom an asylum application is not lodged. Who do we think should be responsible for this and for advising them? How should they become aware of the fact they have to make an application?