Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 11 May 2021
Committee on Public Petitions
Update on Direct Provision: The Ombudsman
Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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This meeting is two hours. I ask members to keep to slots of five or six minutes. We should be able to get all contributors in and have time for a second round of questions, if needs be.
Mr. Tyndall spoke of how his outreach programme worked well until the pandemic affected his ability to travel. He noted that the best engagements had been face-to-face engagements with the people in these centres. Does he have any concerns that the fall off in the number of complaints does not necessarily mean there are fewer complaints but that it is more difficult to report them? I set that against the background of the report on the safety and welfare of children in direct provision by the Ombudsman for Children's Office which makes for upsetting reading. It speaks to the reluctance to complain and the concerns that were highlighted. Is it Mr. Tyndall's view that concerns that are believed to be there are going unsaid or unreported? If so, does the Department's White Paper go far enough to deal with the issue in a prompt manner? Have we an accurate overview of the whole system?