Mr. Aidan O'Driscoll:

Yes, but the Deputy is positing that the committee is the answer to all of the various problems around direct provision. The committee was set up a few months ago in response to the immediate problems that have arisen. I am talking here about the interdepartmental committee. I hope that committee will complete its work by the end of the year. Its remit is to look at short-term to medium-term issues that are arising in the operation of direct provision and the international protection system. Another group is looking at the broader questions that will encompass core policy questions. There are the operational issues and there are the policy questions and the point I am making is that some of the issues that Deputy Connolly is reflecting on are within the broader policy remit. Of course, we deal with the short-term issues on a short-term basis. That is what we do; we manage as best we can. There has been a 60% increase in applications this year and that has caused a particular difficulty. We did not have the space to accommodate everybody. There is also an issue with getting people out of direct provision once they have achieved status. The committee is well aware of this and has been discussing these difficult issues. I wish there was a simple answer to these problems.