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

We have 2,000 people per annum presenting with a submission for asylum. These centres are an offer by the State to provide full bed and board, access to utilities, welfare payments and medical facilities. People are not obliged to accept offers and many do not take them up. They represent the State attempting to provide for such people, instead of the 2,000 who come in going onto the streets and being vulnerable as they would be. The State is providing an option for them to be accommodated in this way. It is not an ideal situation. The McMahon report, which investigated this, has been done and action has been taken to implement the recommendations it made.

With regard to the issue of dealing with cases more quickly, the new legislation will accelerate it and we hope there will no longer be the long delays the Deputy rightly says have been a feature of this provision in the past.

The Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, who is a particularly compassionate and vigilant Minister, has visited these centres. He is very keen to try to deal with this as effectively as possible. He is dealing with a difficult situation in a way that is as fair as we can be. When a decision is made to reject a case there has to be an end to the process.

See this speech in context