Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will be aware that I and many other Senators have continually raised the issue of direct provision in the House. There are many who feel that the human rights of those in direct provision have been transgressed. A former holder of the position of Ombudsman raised the issue of the oversight of the direct provision system and stated that she wanted the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act to be extended to include those in direct provision as a result of the fact that such individuals are of the view that there is no independent mechanism available to them in the context of making complaints, etc.

Will the Minister clarify whether the new commission will be responsible for overseeing the direct provision system? It must be remembered that the system in question has no statutory basis. The system does have a legal basis in that the Government decided to establish it but there is no regulatory framework in respect of it. The Irish Refugee Council and other groups have raised serious concerns with regard to what is happening in some direct provision centres. In light of the fact that she previously served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the Minister will be aware that people were raising concerns in respect of children being raised within a system which was only designed to obtain for a six-month period while people were accommodated in the country. There are children aged between seven and nine years of age who have been living within the system for their entire lives. I would like to discuss this matter at length with the Minister on another occasion. Perhaps now, however, she might clarify the role the new commission will play in respect of the direct provision system.