Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone who has made a contribution to the debate on this important Private Members' motion. I am speaking on behalf of the Government when I say that everything that has been said over the past two days has been noted carefully and will serve to inform the discussions of the working group which the Government amendment to the motion commends to the House. I will not repeat what my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, said in his speech yesterday in support of the Government amendment, but the working group process, which is to be chaired by former High Court Judge Bryan McMahon, will afford a genuine opportunity to discuss this matter in a calm, considered and detailed way. This means that the recommendations or changes which come about as a result of this process will be evidence based, and thereby sustainable and workable for the people we all seek to represent.

The Government accepts the sincerity of all of the speakers in support of the original motion. This is a debate which needs to happen. It was commenced by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and in many respects has been enhanced by the views expressed by many Deputies in the House over the past two days. The tone of the debate has been a credit to the House and all Members.

Extreme views have been articulated across the floor over the past two days. It is a very emotive and emotional subject. I defy anyone not to be moved by the testimonies tabled by Members of all parties and none. All the points made require careful examination and will be carefully examined by the Government and the working group. This is why we have set up a working group comprising experts on the State and non-State side. They are the right people to conduct such an investigation. This does not mean that the process will be slow. I want to assure the House that this is not an attempt to fudge, delay or obfuscate what is a very important set of issues; quite the contrary, in fact.

The Government expects the membership and the terms of reference of the working group to be announced in the very near future. Once established, the Government will request its report within a short timeframe. This is essential. It represents a genuine opportunity to examine in detail and make recommendations on an issue which has become ever more prominent in public debate over recent times.

Like my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, I want change, not just as a public representative but as a human being. One of the largest direct provision centres in the country, Mosney, is in my constituency. I and my colleagues in government want to ensure that, in particular, the needs of families and children in the centre are met, not just those in centres now but also those who may arrive on our shores in the future. I want to ensure that the experience of childhood children have in direct provision centres is not the only experience of childhood they have, something which is all too frequently the case.

It would be unconscionable for me and most right-thinking people to allow a system constructed along current lines to continue unchecked. As a public representative and a member of Government, when a policy is found not to be working and not in the common good or interest it has to be reviewed and we have a responsibility to act, which we accept. As a citizen and human being I have a moral responsibility to call things as they are and as I see them. There are residents in direct provision centres whom I consider to be friends. They are people who I met in very difficult circumstances and represented them over a long period of time. I see how a system like this fails people, can shatter the human spirit and can damage human dignity, about which Deputy Mathews spoke eloquently.

The working group is the best place to examine the system and how we can change it to make it more humane and responsive to the needs of human beings. We owe that to the people and families about whom we are all concerned and whom we seek to represent. This House should allow the working group the time and space to do its job. I commend the amendment to the House.

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