Ms Edel McGinley:

On integration as a whole, I always find the equality framework much more useful than integration measures, although there is an examination of sites where integration should happen. Equality of access and participation outcomes are very useful, especially concerning services. If we are looking at outcomes for people and what goes into those outcomes, which could be a specialised service or something else, I feel the equality framework works much better in some respects. We have equality laws and I think this is a better framework to work from. Social and political participation are key aspects, especially in engaging migrant communities and people having a say over decisions affecting their lives.

One of the recommendations we made earlier revolves around re-establishing a national community development programme across the country that would examine the needs of the host society and people coming to live here. This was decimated and we are still in a context of austerity when it comes to community development and youth work. This is abhorrent. This committee needs to be saying more about this point. I refer to having more critical engagement and community work, where local communities have a say over the policies that affect their lives. I am not talking about consultation but having an actual say over what is going on and having a stake. People do not have a stake now in some respects. We have failed communities in not investing in them and in the rationalisation of the community development projects and processes across the country. We must invest more in youth work. I refer to critical youth work - not just Garda diversion projects - that takes account of the lived experience of young people and how that informs our policies in the future.