Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The provision of direct provision centres has been a shameful episode in the history of the nation. A comparison has been made with the Magdalen laundries of former days and it is fair to say the centres are the Magdalen laundries of our time. I do not buy the Minister of State's argument that the fact that people are spending less time in direct provision accommodation is entirely down to the Government's humanitarian policies and progress thereon. It also reflects the fact that there has been a speeding up of deportations, with many people being forcibly evicted from the country.

I await the Government's proposals with interest and will study them very carefully. However, I urge campaigners on this issue not to sit back and wait for the Government's proposals. Now is the time for asylum seekers and anti-racism campaigners to organise to make sure that whatever change does happen is the best possible change for asylum seekers. The pressure will come from below.

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