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

The transition year students of Cork Educate Together Secondary School went to the Lower Glanmire Road recently to erect a billboard. One of their spokespersons, Rachel Young, said:

We know that government can act quickly when it needs to. Four more years is not ambitious, and we don't accept this.

The billboard refers to the Government's four-year lead-in to what it describes as the abolition of direct provision. Those young people are absolutely right in what they say, and I echo it.

The Government says that direct provision will be dismantled by December 2024. However, what will happen in 2025? Asylum seekers who come to this country will have to go to what is described as "a reception and integration centre" and stay there for a period of four months. What is that, and how do we know it will only be for four months? When the direct provision system was introduced we were told it would be in place for six months. Are people going to be kept in the reception and integration centres for four months or will it run to six months, a year or more than a year? Will they have a legal right to leave those centres after four months? They will not, according to what the Minister and the Government are proposing. What is being proposed is that the four-month promise will not be underpinned by law. MASI, which has many asylum seekers in its ranks, has described this as appalling and I agree.

Why are these proposals not being underpinned by legislation? Let us consider the question of welfare, for example. The White Paper states that after a period asylum seekers will be able to access welfare. However, this is not underpinned by law. Other people who are able to access welfare have legal rights that are underpinned by law. That is not the case here. Are the Minister and the Government saying that asylum seekers have fewer legal rights than other people living in this country? This issue must be addressed.

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