Dr. John Lannon:

I do not want to underestimate or dismiss the challenge of providing accommodation for all the people who are in the system that IPAS is facing. There are too many in the system and IPAS has a backlog that has not been addressed by the Department of Justice. Flexibility is needed, however, and we have always called for that. There are many moving parts involved. There are people who need to move and people who want to move but who, very often, do not get the opportunity to do so. On the other hand, there are people who are being asked to move and might ultimately prefer not to do so. There is an opportunity to look at and understand the needs of the individuals and families. That is critical. I am often concerned that transfers or the rejection of transfer requests are made without understanding and without looking at the particular needs of the families or individuals concerned. Those decisions are just made and those families and individuals are moved. There is a risk that people are being moved solely on the basis of numbers and bed allocations rather than being assessed as human beings who have particular needs and vulnerabilities, and also have human rights.