James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We hear that loud and clear. I thank Mr. Gloster for the information; it is very helpful.

The next issue I wish to raise is much more serious. The State is under enormous pressure around dealing with the war in Ukraine and also around the current ongoing situation with inbound migration. It is something that is extremely difficult for the Government to manage. Of course, it falls under the auspices of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. All of us are conscious of trying to identify the challenges but also to identify what could be done better from the perspective of developing an understanding for the public around how this is being managed.

I will outline the scenario to Mr. McCarthy and I want him to reply. Does he have concerns about the direction of travel around the acquisition of hotels around the country being purchased for potential operation as direct provision centres in the long run, or around expansion into the nursing home sector where small nursing homes that are closing down may be turned into direct provision centres? I want to ask about the future of this area. What is the Department's position on this at the moment? It has been put under huge burden and stress by the war in Ukraine, but there are also additional challenges as a consequence of what happened with policy changes by the United Kingdom Government. I will ask Mr. McCarthy that to start with.