Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth
Challenges Facing Refugee and Migrant Children in Ireland: Discussion
Dr. Fiona O'Reilly:
-----entitled to education. Schooling is a big thing. The healthcare impact comes out of the accommodation, the stress and the trauma. These children are not unhealthy. Of course, there could be some disability but, in the main, what they are looking for is education. That is really useful. Senator Ruane is correct that we say those who claim to be children should be treated as children and accommodated as such until the process has concluded. That includes the appeal. If that is the case, we could then provide all the information so they know where they are in the process and what may be due to them if, at the end of the process, they are determined to be children.