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

It is correct to say that the standard of accommodation and the manner in which asylum seekers are treated varies across Europe. In parts of Europe, people are literally in prison camps. We have something that approximates in some respects to open prison camps. While our conditions are not as bad as those in some other parts of Europe, we should not compare ourselves to the very worst conditions in Europe. Almost 8,000 people in this country are living in conditions that give them no control over the lives on a day-to-day basis. They cannot buy things for their children. They often cannot afford extracurricular activities for their children in school. They cannot socialise, interact or be based in society. The manner in which people are being treated is inhumane. Does the Minister agree on a more fundamental level that we should not have a system that segregates people and takes them away from the rest of society? I suggest that people should be allowed to work, to contribute to society, to pay tax and to live as normal human beings with proper decency and full human rights.

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