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

It is estimated that there are between 15,000 and 17,000 undocumented persons living in this State. I want their voices to be heard in the Chamber. I will read a few quotes from a report by the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland. A chap whose name was "Billy" - that is not his real name - said:

To get my papers ... would be a dream come true. I won’t have to worry every time there is a knock at the door. I’ll finally feel safe in my home.

A woman called Dottymore said:

Sometimes when I am at the bus stop a group have directed racial insults towards me and thrown things at me whilst laughing. If I got my status I would be able to report this safely.

Zeinab stated:

Sometimes I am not paid the full amount, other times I am not paid at all. If I had my status I could stand up to this.

The position of the Department is to deal with applications on a case-by-case basis. There is a shortage of staffing in the Department and there are huge delays. We are talking about the lives of 15,000 to 17,000 people who are living and contributing in this society. Will the Minister consider changing her mind on this issue and granting papers en massefor those people?

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