Mark Dearey (Green Party)

Will the Leader plead with the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Barry Andrews, and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform regarding the fate of approximately 70 so-called aged out minors? These are young people who came to Ireland, often trafficked, and have reached the age of 18 years. They are being moved from the facilities they currently occupy, utterly inadequate as they are, to adult direct provision centres around the country. They are all currently in Dublin. They are extremely vulnerable and most of them are in education in the city.

Crosscare, the social care service providing services for them, has identified them as people who require stability and after-care, to which young people in HSE care who are Irish and reach 18 years of age are entitled. These young people ought to be entitled to it too. They will experience trauma if moved to direct provision centres in Sligo, Galway, Donegal and so forth. The deadline is 13 July. I ask that these vulnerable young people be dealt with according to their need, not according to the system's need. They should be allowed to complete their education in Dublin, where many of them have integrated into schools, football clubs and so forth, and given the opportunity to remain in direct provision in Dublin. They should also be afforded the after-care services they are entitled to after reaching 18 years of age and moving from HSE to Department of Justice and Law Reform care. This is an urgent request given the deadline and I would appreciate it if the Leader would plead their case.

I welcome the passing of the Civil Partnership Bill by the Dáil yesterday and the spirit in which it happened. I hope we will replicate it here. The only moral issue here is the morality of denying people their civil rights. That is the only basis on which this discussion ought to happen.