Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh for being here this evening and for a very challenging discussion. It is not simple. I refer to the evidence given by witnesses and particularly the comments from the members. We hear a lot of evidence week in, week out but today was very thought-provoking.

There is a lot society needs to do to ensure people are rehabilitated and that there is an understanding that society has a big challenge. Roughly 15% to 18% of society right now is outside of the State and whether it is minority groups or people in poverty traps, there is a continuous cycle among families going back over the years in terms of major public policy on free education and stuff. The big challenge facing society is how we deal with minority groups and how we make it a more inclusive society, and how we build a society that allows that. A point was made about prisons being the sanction of last resort. The challenge is we have a society that is not able to provide for everybody. We need a society that is inclusive. One of the members made a comment about a person going into a courthouse and they are guilty already. That prejudice has to be broken down and supports have to be given right across it.

I thank the witnesses for their evidence and I would appreciate if they could keep in contact with the committee at various levels, if there is something we are discussing. The witnesses have a lot to offer us in terms of evidence and reports that we may be compiling in the future.