Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Muldoon. I am sure all the members will have plenty of questions but I will start. It is frightening to read the report and see some of the things that are going on in direct provision centres, especially with regard to young children being totally neglected, for want of a better word. One of the concerns raised in the opening section of the report is that residents are extremely reluctant to complain in case it affects their asylum applications or their living conditions. The report sets out that after the investigation was expanded, it found that IPAS, which was responsible for the accommodation of the asylum seekers, was not even following its own child protection procedures. The accommodation was not being inspected properly.

I would like to raise a few issues with Dr. Muldoon before I let others in. I will come back in later in the meeting. In the course of Dr. Muldoon's correspondence with these agencies, has anybody held their hands up and admitted fault or at least acknowledged responsibility for failing these children? Under the Children First Act 2015, an obligation is placed on each Government Minister to ensure his or her Department prepares a sectorial implementation plan. Was that done?

If we can look into the future for a moment, given the recommendations from the McMahon report of 2015, which in large part have not been implemented by any of the agencies involved, is there a possibility that many of Dr. Muldoon's recommendations and those of the McMahon report could be shelved until the new system of direct provision is in place in two or three years' time, as we are being told it will be? Given the obvious lack of foresight in preparing for the care of children in the current system of direct provision, can Dr. Muldoon foresee any pitfalls that might present themselves with the new system which may need to be flagged now while that is being put together?