Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Does she agree that the current situation is inhumane and intolerable, as described accurately by the Minister of State? I am sure that she has visited the centres where conditions are inhumane and intolerable. People have no individuality or freedom over what they do in their lives and are dependent on their centres to provide food that may not be of sufficient nutritional quality. It is an horrific way to live. Almost 8,000 people are in this situation, of whom nearly 2,000 are children. More than 3,000 people have been in this situation for longer than five years.

The report's points include the uncertainty overshadowing people's lives, the lack of personal autonomy over the most basic aspects of their lives, the lack of privacy, the challenges of sharing space with strangers, the boredom and isolation and an inability to support themselves. After five years of living in this way, people's talents and skills, of which they have many, inevitably dim. They feel that they have been oppressed. Does the Minister agree that everyone should be gone after five years and that there should be an increase, which is still minimal as recommended, in the amount of money that they receive?

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