Results 9,721-9,740 of 14,127 for speaker:David Stanton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: At the moment, we are focusing on Syrians, Eritreans and Iraqis as they are the people who are in greatest need.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: We have not been approached about the matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: We will have to wait and see what comes from the European Parliament.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: As I said, there was no time limit on this as such. We have commitments next year as well. The situation might change as time moves on and I note what the Deputy has said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: We have the freedom to use the funding for many of the issues referred to by the Deputy. People in direct provision are, in the main, asylum seekers and are a different group of people from the ones we bring in from Lebanon, Greece or Italy, who are refugees when they arrive here or become refugees shortly after they arrive. Resettlement takes place of people we bring in from Lebanon while...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: We are actively working on the migrant integration strategy and I invite Senators and Deputies to read it if they have not done so. It is a living document and if members have suggestions as to how we can add to it or improve it, I would welcome those. The strategy is about integration and addresses anti-racism and a range of actions aimed at precisely what the Deputy is referring to. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: I thank the Deputy for his questions, and continued interest and support on this matter. It is greatly appreciated. It is appreciated by the migrants as well, and other colleagues. With respect to local authorities, in the past two weeks, we invited all local authorities to come to a seminar in Athlone where we addressed many issues such as how they can get involved and support migrants...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: When we made the pledges at the time, the group of people in most need were Syrians. That is what the European Union asked us to do. We expect the Commission will come to us in the near future, and to other countries as well, seeking pledges regarding some of the countries the Deputy mentioned. That may well happen in the future but at the time the Syrian people who were fleeing in large...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: We have to work with the Commission on that. That may well happen. I cannot say if it will but we would certainly be open to any request or discussion with the Commission on that matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: We can revise our national programme. I will take the Deputy's viewpoint back to the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: Deputy Wallace is correct. We have been very proactive in working to find accommodation. There are certain times of the year when families find it better to move, such as at the end of a school term. We have provided funding to the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Peter McVerry Trust under the fund that we are discussing today. The PATHS Project also provides asylum seekers in transition...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: The direct provision system has changed a great deal in recent years. I invite colleagues to look at the changes that have been made. We continue to change, improve and upgrade the area. There is a fair bit of pressure due to the increase in people looking for international protection, and therefore we have to find accommodation for them. When someone comes into Dublin Airport tonight...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: If the Deputy would send me that in writing, I would be very interested.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: If other Deputies have instances of this, we would be anxious to learn about them, investigate and see what is behind this, and give whatever support and assistance that we can. There are often two sides to every story. Let us see what is going on here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: Discussion about the Defence Forces is going outside my remit. The Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe might discuss that with the committee. I know that the navy has done an enormous amount work in the Mediterranean and has saved many lives. Thousands of people have been rescued by our naval service and I have met some of the personnel involved. Some of what they have gone through has also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: I do not know. My understanding is that they did not want to have what they would call extraterritorial security services operating on their territory. We wanted to do this in a quiet way - the gardaí would not be in uniform. It would have allowed us to carry out security checks as we did in Greece and Lebanon where it works well. That would allow me to come in here and confirm that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: I agree that the accommodation centres have improved quite a bit. We continually strive to find new ways to improve the centres by, for example, opening crèches that children in the locality and children in the centres can use. That also facilitates integration. Another approach is through funding various sporting bodies that include asylum seekers from the centres in sport. Last...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: At certain times we have many people in the protection system looking for protection and at other times the number can reduce. We do not want to have centres that are closed and not needed. There is flexibility in what we are doing at the moment. I take the Senator's point. We are exploring how we might use State-owned facilities and augment those to provide more and better accommodation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: I answered a parliamentary question on this last week. I will get the information relating to that parliamentary question for the Chairman. He is correct. Our major concern is that people seeking international protection do not end up on the street. There is a great deal of pressure on the accommodation centres that are under contract. There have been times when they have been full. At...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

David Stanton: I have the figures for the Chairman so I can give them to him now. As of 2 December 2018, there were 184 people seeking international protection in emergency accommodation beds. The intention is that these beds will be used for a short period, perhaps one or two nights, before we can relocate them and offer them accommodation in one of the other permanent centres. Rather than having people...