Results 41-60 of 71 for "direct provision" speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seanad: Moore Street Area Renewal and Development Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members] (10 Jun 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...and what we believe in. There are many people in our society who need this commemoration. I am thinking of the people on the edge of society. In this Chamber, for example, we have discussed direct provision, the national drugs strategy and those suffering from drug addiction and issues relating to disadvantage. We have discussed people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual...

Seanad: National Drugs Strategy: Statements (26 May 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...it is worthy of assessment and investigation, and it is something I am determined to do. This House has a good reputation for coming together collectively and on a cross-party basis to focus on issues such as direct provision and other issues of common intent. If this House was to come together collectively and on a cross-party basis and say this is something that should be investigated,...

Other Questions: Anti-Racism Measures (2 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I appreciate the Deputy's comments. Work is ongoing in respect of Traveller ethnicity, direct provision, integration and interaction. Yesterday there was positive interaction with the Deputy's committee. One of the points I am quite keen to pursue under the integration strategy relates to young people. Obviously, a number of young people are between two identities at the moment. They...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Chairman and members for inviting me to speak today on the direct provision system for accommodating applicants for international protection. I have been to the forefront in seeking reform of this system and, to that end, I very much welcome the committee's interest in this matter. It is my wish that this engagement today helps, not hinders, the ongoing consultative process which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...so. I could envisage staying in some, but there are some in which I would not spend a night. No matter what the standard of accommodation is, those who are seeking asylum do not want to live in direct provision centres. I cannot stand over a system in which the issues that the Senator has outlined continue, that belittles people, in which people live hopeless, unproductive lives and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...people in the Houses of the Oireachtas have raised deep concerns about the system. From the first moments I walked into this House people from all parties have raised concerns about the process and direct provision, in particular. We have had quite a number of robust exchanges in the Seanad on the matter. It is to the credit of Seanad Éireann, in particular, for taking on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I will give my initial response to that. I do not know if Mr. Dowling or Mr. Kelly want to come in on that. On the people who are still in direct provision when they do not have to be there, I think there is a challenge for us in the future to find a step-down facility or a halfway situation because I think it would be unreasonable to expect somebody to go from a long period of living in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...media. We can be critical of them in the political system but I have great respect for a number of campaigning journalists. They have given the human dimension and stories behind the reality of direct provision. How do we come to a conclusion? What is the best way of advancing the cause of those within direct provision sectors who want a life? The determination of Government was to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...would say the group was not independent and its members could not speak openly. However, the working group has rightly gone out of its way to hear as many testimonies of the realities of living in direct provision as it possibly could. We have a short time in politics and my time in this Department will most likely be short as well, with possibly a year to go. In that time, more than...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...sought. The group is an independent working group outside of political interference. I know the members are discussing all the issues the people in this room, those outside it and those who are in direct provision centres feel passionately about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Direct Provision: Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...That can sometimes be overlooked as a minor issue but it is not as we are talking about people's childhood. Some people in 50 or 60 years will be saying that they spent their formative years in a direct provision centre. That is strong in my mind in dealing with the issue. Some staff in these centres work really hard and care passionately about people under their care. They make the...

Seanad: National Integration Strategy: Motion (1 Apr 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: With regard to the amendment tabled by Senators Cullinane, Ó Clochartaigh and Reilly, as Senators will be aware, I have a personal commitment to reforming the direct provision system. Alongside my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, I established a working group on the protection process. The work of this group is ongoing and it will report back in the...

Seanad: Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014: Second Stage (24 Feb 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...with the institutionalisation of people. That ranges from people with mental issues in the past, from the Magdalen laundries to the mother and baby homes, to industrial schools and our common cause in this House - the issue of direct provision. We have a lot of issues to deal with. On the issue of women's rights, we still have a huge amount to achieve and also in terms of our love...

Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (29 Jan 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...people in mental institutions, mother and baby homes, Magdalen laundries or industrial schools. The Department of Justice and Equality and the Reception and Integration Agency do not like the comparison with direct provision centres, but in many respects it is apt. We should not live in a country with high walls where people wonder what goes on behind them, and continue that type of...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...do not have advocates in this House then they will not get them anywhere else. It is vital that both Houses of the Oireachtas debate the matter. It is a credit to this House that the issue of direct provision has been raised repeatedly. I am quite happy to return here and give updates on where we are. One expects statements from the Government or a Department to have a mix of...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...work an awful lot better. As regards the Government's commitment to this issue, the statement of priorities of both Government parties was signed off on last summer and it included reform of the direct provision system. A commitment was made that a protection Bill would be brought before the Oireachtas and that will happen this month. In addition, a working group has been established....

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Government on this important topic. I have made it clear before in this House that improving the system of direct provision to make it more humane is important to me personally and to the Government generally. Since I last spoke to the House on this subject on a Private Members' motion on 17 September 2014, there have been significant...

Direct Provision for Asylum Seekers: Motion [Private Members] (30 Sep 2014)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following :"recognising that:- the current system of direct provision has existed for 14 years; - that the Minister and the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, having visited several centres, both agree on the need to review the current system; and - a key concern identified...

Seanad: Direct Provision System: Motion (17 Sep 2014)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ..., Deputy Fitzgerald, to respond to this motion by supporting the Government amendment, which states:To delete all words after 'That Seanad Éireann' and substitute the following:"recognising that – -the current system of Direct Provision has existed for 14 years; -that the Minister and the Minister of State in the Department of Justice and Equality having visited several centres...

Seanad: Direct Provision System: Motion (17 Sep 2014)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: ...of protests in asylum accommodation centres. I want to make it clear that while I fully respect the rights of residents to protest, I cannot condone the targeting of individuals working in certain direct provision centres or the stopping of people going about their lawful work. I have visited a number of centres and while my concerns about the system are unabated, I fully accept that...