Ms Collette O'Regan:

It is unbelievable that Ms Ibnouf mentioned exactly what I intended to raise in my final comment, namely, the length of time people spend trying to access justice in terms of their international protection application. I am speaking in particular on behalf of LGBT+ applicants who are spending far too long in a very isolated, closeted and hostile environment in direct provision. They dread what is going to happen at their interview and wonder how they will explain why they are here. That is not fair access to justice in terms of their experience of international protection.

The Department of Justice needs to invest in additional human resources so that people get a fairer and just experience of international protection in a much timelier fashion. I cannot stress how much better their mental health and well-being would be. Going back to Mr. Joyce's point, all these things are interconnected and people are battling with multiple struggles at once.