Ms Sharon Mpofu:

I thank the committee for welcoming MASI to this session. During the recent World Refugee Day celebrations we conveyed important messages to the Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, regarding improvements to the international protection application processes in Ireland. We proposed granting stamp 4 status to applicants who have been in the system for more than two years. We also proposed re-evaluating the classification of certain countries as safe countries of origin. We called for immediate working rights, or a full weekly allowance, for applicants who are unable to secure accommodation as well as the end of the direct provision system which we believe dehumanises asylum seekers. The stringent measures in direct provision centres strip people of their dignity and impede the freedom of young individuals.

Additionally, in all our messages the housing crisis faced by asylum seekers, which results in homelessness, was highlighted as an urgent issue requiring comprehensive action. We raised concerns about inequality in the treatment of refugees from different nationalities, citing a significant contrast in resource allocation and access to welfare. This poses a significant challenge for refugees in Ireland. MASI is concerned about the approach that IPAS has taken to evict from centres people who have permission to stay in the country, especially families and children. This has caused a lot of distress for people, especially with the challenges they face in obtaining houses.

We appreciate the effort the Department has made in obtaining accommodation for the stranded men who ended up living in tents. We were wondering whether the Minister could comment on plans to prevent this from happening moving forward. We are concerned about reports from people with disabilities living in direct provision who are sometimes not taken into account when IPAS staff deal with them as far as their needs are concerned. I thank the committee.