Dáil debates

Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Provision of Accommodation and Ancillary Services to Applicants for International Protection: Statements

 

6:10 pm

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This morning I presented Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge certificates in Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad and I announced €500,000 for a period of three years. On my way back I passed the EPIC museum on the quays, which tells the story of the contribution of Irish emigrants across the world. It is a reminder of how emigration is intertwined in our history. It is the story of every Irish family, or certainly the story of mine. Like a lot of people in Connemara, I have uncles in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Perth in Australia, London and Manchester. Irish people were not always universally welcomed in any of those places. Emigrants took the risk of the coffin ships, as they were, because the alternative, namely, staying here, was worse. The opportunities were not there. We are all aware of the very tragic history of the Famine. We do not want to repeat that history.

Direct provision has been with us for 20 years. It started off as an emergency because there were no alternatives. Even during the most recent recession people left this land to improve their lot. There are varied but common reasons people leave their country of origin. Some people are afraid because they have received threats to their lives because of their sexuality or for some other reason. Religious persecution is another reason. People leave because there is no choice. They face no future in their country. They leave in order to protect their family, as many Irish left to better their families.

We have international responsibilities to people seeking asylum, as the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, and I have highlighted as well. We have provided places for them. We have also granted refugee status in conjunction with our international responsibilities. My recent experience of the plan to provide direct provision in Oughterard was one of the most difficult issues of my political career. I have said that on many occasions. The debate generated widespread concern and polarised opinion. As the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, is aware, there was an information vacuum. No clarity or definitive information was provided. In Oughterard it was planned to use a 60-bed hotel and to have five residents per room, which equals a total of 300 asylum seekers. A rumour went out that the rooms were being subdivided so therefore the 300 became 600. There was a strong rumour announced on local radio that there would be 300 single young men coming. All the rumours and lack of information do a disservice to people who avail of the services and also to communities. The main concern in the community I represent is the unknown and as we know, nature abhors a vacuum.

I have had discussions with the Minister of State and I am aware that his hands are bound in terms of the sensitivity of contract information and procurement. At the same time, the situation must be examined in order that clarity and information can be provided. Deputy Connolly was with me at the meeting in Oughterard, which was well attended, and I was unable to provide clarity on numbers and where the residents would come from. First, I could not state with certainty that an application had been received from the hotel. Second, I did not know if the contract would be awarded successfully. Third, I did not know the numbers that might come. Fourth, I did not know where they might come from. Fifth, I did not know what the profile would be in terms of families and ages. Any community deserves to have that information. I know it is a very difficult situation for the Department and for the Ministers involved due to the sensitivity of the procurement process and contractual issues.

I visited the direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna. As it turned out, I visited a week earlier than I was expected due to a misunderstanding. In effect, I came unannounced.

I saw a comfortable, relaxed setting, with kids home from school in their uniforms as with any children of four or five years of age, dancing, playing and doing whatever else they do on their way home from school. When one considers the number of Irish missionaries who went abroad to educate people, we have people coming to this country who deserve to be educated too. We heard from management that up to 30 people from that centre are out working in various areas in the community. We heard that the people who were against the centre when it was first being talked about are now employers of residents.

People wait too long in direct provision in certain circumstances. I acknowledge that the system has been refined and is leading to faster decisions. There are also people in direct provision centres who have been processed and their applications are complete. Talking to colleagues, there are plenty of other positive examples from across the country of where this has worked, including Ballaghaderreen, Macroom, Wicklow and other places too. No system is perfect. I have received information regarding poor standards in another direct provision centre, which I am following up with the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, and the Minister, Deputy Flanagan. There can be no excuse for poor facilities when State money is provided. The impact in that case is not on the community in general but the residents. I have concerns in the case of one direct provision centre which I have passed on to the Minister of State. I know he is looking into the matter. There have been considerable improvements across direct provision centres. We have increased and improved standards, as outlined in the McMahon report, the recommendations of which have been wholly implemented.

An issue that is often raised by individuals is alternatives. An alternative is not evident. I commend the community programme that the Minister of State has announced to look for houses and such in a variety of communities. That is to be welcomed and may be a success, but it represents small numbers in what is, in many cases, an emergency. An immediate response is required. There may be a weekend or a week in which we suddenly need to find accommodation for up to 100 people. It is not realistic to expect to find houses for all of them in various small communities, or even large communities, throughout the country. The community programme is, however, a worthwhile approach. If it works and it provides stable, integrated accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees, it should be explored. The Minister of State has piloted that in his own area and that is to be welcomed.

Many people feel that asylum seekers and refugees should be offered a house immediately, as soon as they arrive and present. That could happen in an ideal world. I think Sweden tried this. If we did that in the morning, it would have two effects. It would offend people who are on the housing list. There has always been a housing list and politicians deal with the issue every day. If everybody who came into this country got a house ahead of those on the list, it would cause significant problems. It would also act as a pull factor, as the Department calls it, possibly encouraging more people to come to the country.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, on doing a difficult job and on the advice he has provided to me and those who have faced communities that are, in some cases, up in arms. In my recent experience, there seemed to be a view that I could click my fingers and a direct provision centre would be cancelled, as if it was that simple. As I explained on radio, if that was all it took to prevent the establishment of a direct provision centre, the whole system would collapse around our ears. On the basis that I supported, understood and spoke about our international responsibilities, I was accused in an email of being in some way complicit in people trafficking and sex trafficking. I refute that insinuation. People leave their countries because they want to improve their lives and those of their families and children. They want to create better lives for themselves. We have an international responsibility to do the best we can. I acknowledge the work that the Minister of State and Department are doing on a difficult issue. The system has been with us for the past 20 years. It is not perfect but standards will continue to improve. I am sure the Minister of State has implemented the recommendations of the McMahon report. I hope the community sponsorship programme, which seeks to find accommodation in individual houses in various communities, will be a success.

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