Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him on his appointment. Some of the things he has been saying on this issue since beginning his new job are very important. The direct provision system is a disgrace and it shames us as a nation and a people. It was one of the first matters that came across my desk when I was elected to Dublin City Council and I still deal with it weekly. It is appalling and is a form of institutional racism. We would not treat white Americans this way.

One person used to come in to me who had already been ordered to be deported. Every two weeks he went to the office where they said they were not deporting him that week, so he should come back in two weeks. That has gone on for years. He knows that if he goes home his wife will be at risk, but he is saying: "Deport me. Just do something."

Another person was lucky to find a benefactor to sponsor his M.A. course. When the home he was in found out that he was getting this education, they stopped giving him lunch. I had to go to the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality to get his lunch service restored. It is disgraceful. I know the Minister of State feels the same and we need to do something about it. We cannot let ourselves get to the next general election without having addressed this matter properly. The only proper and fair way of doing it is with an amnesty. That will not be palatable to some but we should pick a period - four years or whatever it might be - and say that we have made a mistake. We need to treat these people better and tell them they are more than welcome in this country. It is amazing to see the difference for people who have come through the system and have had the chance to become Irish citizens. They are making a great contribution.

As a Government we will leave different legacies behind us in the four or five years we have, including economic ones. This question has to be tackled and resolved, however, and I think an amnesty is the only way to do it. I ask the Minister of State to consider it.

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