Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. It is a short timeframe. Are we considering conducting an examination of the centres? Let us consider the matter from a Government point of view. Are we satisfied that what the Minister has said is the case? Has the Minister considered signing up to the reception directive? This guarantees people who are in these centres certain rights and standards of accommodation. In fairness, it is not too much to ask that we treat people with decency or give them standards in terms of accommodation and so on and so forth. In some member states asylum seekers are allowed to work if their application for asylum has not been dealt with in six months. If the system here militates against their application for asylum and adds to the difficulty in terms of direct provision, then we must deal with the anomaly that it creates. Has the Minister considered whether Ireland should sign up to the reception directive?

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