Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Direct provision in Ireland represents a human rights failure and a gravy train for accommodation providers. Costs associated with the direct provision system rose significantly in the past two years with the Covid-19 pandemic leading to extra accommodation needs, according to figures from data compiled and published by the Irish Examinerseveral weeks ago.

It shows, for example, that accommodation providers have earned over €1.6 billion in direct provision accommodation contracts since 1999. To put that enormous figure in context, at an average building cost of, say, €150,000 for a social house, the €1.6 billion would have built 10,666 houses in the same time. How many families would that have housed, instead of the Government giving the money away to the direct provision system? It shows a deep lack of understanding or strategy. That figure comes from figures furnished by the Department on the overall cost of direct provision accommodation for asylum seekers between 1999 and 2020. There are children in the shocking conditions of direct provision and in some cases we have seen large numbers of people in one room. It is wrong for the State to bring people to this country on the false pretence of normal accommodation and then subject them to up to ten years in some shocking conditions.

During the term of the previous Government I put forward some solutions for how rural Ireland could perhaps have created a solution for asylum seekers whereby families - not in large numbers but maybe in smaller numbers - are integrated into local towns and villages. These towns and villages have lovely shops, schools, churches and community centres and would have been ideal homes for any families. It would be a more human and respectful way to treat people than the situation we left them to. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to listen. It seems there are massive amounts of money going into the direct provision system. We have so much to offer. West County Cork got no rural regeneration funds this year but that does not matter; the community will come up with the goods and people can come to live in our towns and rural communities. We have a lot to offer there. That is one fairly good solution that should be put forward here yet it has not been worked on.

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