Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission: Commissioner Designate

11:10 am

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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My next question relates to the direct provision system. Ms Logan has raised this issue and I am sure she will have noted that there has been a marked increase in focus on it in Parliament. It was the subject of a Private Members' motion last week that extended over two nights. It appears we are nearing the point where, collectively, everybody is agreed that this system needs to change dramatically. I would like to hear Ms Logan's thoughts on that system.

Ms Logan will know that the former Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, would have asked that the asylum seeker system and the prison system would be under that office's jurisdiction and the new Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall has also called for that. This fits into Ms Logan's recommendation that various committees in the Oireachtas work together on human rights and equality. For example, in this case it would involve the committee that I chair, the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions, working with this committee to advance a common objective. I would like to hear Ms Logan's thoughts on that. I presume that part of her engagement with the Minister is to get updates on where these matters are at and how they are progressing.