Mr. Peter Tyndall:

I cannot comment on them.

I recently visited centres in Lisdoonvarna and Wicklow that were the subject of considerable controversy before they opened. There was speculation at the time about what impact they would have, and none of those perceived damages occurred. I commend local communities across Ireland and organisations such as the GAA, NGOs and churches that have worked so hard to support and integrate people into communities. It has been a great success.

It was noted earlier that the tourism and hospitality industries in Ireland provide opportunities for people to work. It is frustrating for many asylum seekers, including some I have met, who were skilled professionals in their own countries to find themselves doing low-paid work in Ireland. However, the ability to work has helped people integrate. In Lisdoonvarna, young people come in from school who are clearly very much part of the community. It is important to find ways to avoid putting people in inappropriate temporary accommodation in the short term. That is a huge challenge that needs to be met. People who have come to our country, in my experience, want to work. They have not come here to sponge off our community, but to work. The way in which the right to work was so enthusiastically embraced by people in the centres is an object lesson that demonstrates that these people want to make a contribution to our communities, and have done so whenever they have had the opportunity.

Addressing the time these people spend in inappropriate temporary accommodation is the big challenge we face. There is also huge pressure because people want to be in Dublin, where there is neither much direct provision nor much access to affordable rented housing. That is an ongoing problem. People finding work and integrating into communities elsewhere in Ireland may well be to our advantage in the long term, because in other countries concentrating people in particular communities has given rise to problems at a later date. People being present across our communities will benefit us in the long term.

That may go beyond my remit.