Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That will come as good news to those of us who are concerned for people who are living in inhumane conditions, as the Minister said. We know from information provided by his Department and the inspections that were carried out that the man in question was not exaggerating. There was no intent on his part to put out any false information or anything like that. The Minister has addressed that to some extent. As for people who find themselves in these situations, where there is a cockroach infestation in a centre, the Minister talked briefly about the health provisions in place. My understanding is that this gentleman looked to go to Cavan General Hospital but that support was not available to him. Could the Minister talk to us a little more about the health provisions in place - he has briefly summarised them - for people who find themselves in these situations?

I have checked the number of direct provision centres around the country. Monaghan seems to have a very high number of direct provision settings and centres, whether temporary or permanent. Monaghan Integrated Development does terrific work under Gabriel O'Connell in providing support to people. I think 183 was the figure I gave the Minister for one of the centres; 228 is the figure for St. Patrick's. Could the Minister talk to us a little about the type of provision the Government is putting in place in terms of resources for the likes of Monaghan Integrated Development to try to help these people to stand on their own two feet and to integrate into the community, with language and education? What is the Government doing to help these people?

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