Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Senator will welcome the move.

The Minister has responded this year to more than 50 parliamentary questions in the Dáil on direct provision and has addressed this subject in this House several times, most extensively in response to a Private Members' motion on 23 October 2013. Much of what I have to say, therefore, has been said previously. In addition, legal challenges to the direct provision system are likely to litigated in the High Court next year.

Currently 4,381 persons reside in 34 accommodation centres managed under contract to the Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, of the Department of Justice and Equality. At the end of 2009, 6,494 were persons residing in 54 centres. The number of centres and the number of persons residing in them have decreased by a third in the space of three years. The Minister is not saying this issue will disappear over time but it is being managed and controlled. The efforts of the Minister and his Department will continue to further reduce the numbers of persons in direct provision. He hopes that the new arrangements he recently introduced to deal with outstanding subsidiary protection applications will contribute to this. He equally hopes that the passage of an amended immigration and residence Bill next year and the introduction of a single procedure will make for a more efficient and effective procedure.

The Minister is aware of the proposals of the Irish Refugee Council, IRC, on an alternative reception system for people seeking international protection. The RIA will shortly meet IRC representatives at their request to enable them to elaborate on their proposals. It is notable that the document states that the proposals "are addressed on the basis that Ireland is now receiving less than 1,000 new asylum claims a year". The reality is asylum trends can fluctuate and we cannot assume that this will remain the case. Moreover changes to the asylum system, including reception conditions, can and do impact on the number of asylum claims that are made and that this also needs to be borne in mind. It would be wrong therefore to ignore this "pull factor". While the State has an important obligation to provide refuge for those in genuine need of protection and asylum and it is crucial that we comply with our international obligations in this regard, it is also appropriate to acknowledge that a significant number of those who have during the years sought asylum here have been economic migrants evading our immigration and visa requirements whose personal narratives have ultimately proved to be both untrue and unreliable. The State at this time cannot afford to provide supports and accommodation for individuals who so behave.

I would also like to reiterate a number of points about the direct provision system and how it has operated. It is important to note that not once has an asylum seeker arriving in this State been left homeless. That cannot be said for several other EU states. The Minister has said on several occasions that while the direct provision system is not ideal, it facilitates the State in providing a roof over the heads of those seeking asylum or seeking to be allowed on humanitarian grounds to stay in the State. It allows the State to do this in a manner that facilitates resources being used economically in circumstances where it is under financial difficulty.

If the State was to permit all asylum seekers to avail of full social welfare supports, including rent supplement, the immediate impact would be that every asylum seeker, including those not currently in accommodation provided by the RIA, would avail of this financial support. Every asylum seeker does not live in direct provision accommodation, as they are not compelled to do so. Accommodation is provided for those who cannot provide accommodation for themselves and do not have friends, family or others in the State who are willing to provide accommodation for them. Some asylum seekers live with friends or family or provide from their own resources for their accommodation needs.

The accommodation system cannot be in place solely in its own context. It is inextricably linked with the surrounding international protection process. An amended immigration, residence and protection Bill will be published next year, the purpose of which will be to substantially simplify and streamline the existing arrangements for asylum, subsidiary protection and leave to remain applications by making provision for the establishment of a single application procedure in order that applicants can be provided with a final decision on all aspects of their protection application in a more straightforward and timely fashion.

The direct provision system remains an important element of the State's asylum and immigration system and the Minister has no plans to end it at this time. The Minister accepts, however, that the time spent in direct provision accommodation and the complexity of the asylum process are issues that need to be addressed. His resolve, therefore, is to deal with the factors that lead to delays in the processing of cases in order that asylum seekers spend as little time as is necessary in the accommodation system.