Ms Collette O'Regan:

I thank the Acting Chairman. The question was not addressed to us but I guess I want to flag up LGBT+ people in direct provision centres because they are incredibly invisible and incredibly vulnerable to sexual violence, physical harassment and violence and bullying with dreadful mental health outcomes for them and they are terrified to call in the Garda. Mostly, they are closeted inside the direct provision centres and they feel unable to talk to the management to bring in the Garda. Their first line of defence is always to try to talk to the management. The management state that it is not their job and they should bring in the Garda. It does not often meet the threshold of physical violence that will bring the Garda in. Of course, they are terrified that if the Garda comes in, it will eventually come out that they are LGBT and what has happened to them. I wanted to flag up a very invisible group who have significant barriers to overcome to access the Garda and who want to call on the Garda but are scared of them at the same time.