Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As he outlined, we are providing temporary accommodation - bed, breakfast and board - for almost 5,000 individuals.

Every year, approximately 2,000 new applicants come and we try to provide a service for them. The idea behind this accommodation is to provide for people who would otherwise arrive in a very vulnerable condition. There is a limited number of such places, with very high occupancy rates, that must accommodate the 50 people a week who need accommodation and who have a call on this. We must ensure we can, to the best of our ability, be fair and equal to all those who are making a case to the State. There has been significant effort to improve the conditions. The McMahon report made 173 recommendations of which 133 have been fully implemented and a further 36 are in progress. That has brought tangible improvement in the conditions of people who are awaiting a decision. It includes standards, availability of self-catering and so on.

In terms of the ban on employment, the court has yet to make an order. On foot of that order, the Government will have to consider its implications. A provisional ruling has been made but the final order is yet to be made. We have made huge efforts to simplify the process through legislation in order that people are not in temporary accommodation for long periods. It was never intended that it should be for long periods. To facilitate people coming through, there must be some effort in respect of people who have been the subject of deportation orders to see that they would move on since their cases have been fully adjudicated under the international rules we apply and a decision made that they are not eligible for status in Ireland. That is the position. We will try to deal with each person in the most humane way we can. We cannot guarantee that everyone is able to remain forever in accommodation if he or she has been unsuccessful in his or her application. This is an effort to deal with a problem in a reasonable and fair way as best we can.

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