Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. It sounds like a big effort is being made to clear any backlog and I appreciate that. I am from Meelick, County Clare and since the Hungarian revolution in 1956, there has been, on an on-off basis, refugees and asylum seekers in our community. We value them. We have got to know their stories over the years. They are harrowing, compelling and are not always heard. As a local person, who taught in the local school for a number of years, I have stood as guarantor to help some of those asylum seekers with the legal process. Overall, I do not think direct provision is ethical or humanitarian. It also does not provide value for money. It has cost €175 million in the past year to provide direct provision accommodation for 5,200 people. That breaks down roughly to €33,000 per person. It costs the State €170,000 per annum to accommodate a family of five at a time the average house price in Clare is €200,000. We must move to a point where direct provision ends in 2024, as the Government has committed to, and housing asylum seekers within the country so they can become active citizens of Ireland.

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