Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Deenihan, to the House. I am somewhat puzzled about how and why the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, is not present. I mean no disrespect towards the Minister of State, for whom I have considerable regard. Anyway, I have some idea of why the Minister of State responsible is not here today: it is probably because he would agree with the Bill, if what he has said is correct.
Since the introduction of direct provision successive Governments have failed individuals. In this regard I include Governments led by my party in the past ten or 12 years. I have had many occasions to meet people involved in direct provision. For this to go on as long as it has is wrong, although I do not lay all the blame at the feet of this Government. We have an opportunity today to make a real start. I spoke to my party leader and other colleagues in my party on the matter. While the Bill may not be perfect - no Bill on Second Stage is perfect - there are certain amendments we are keen to bring forward.

The only way to achieve this is to allow the Bill to complete Second Stage. The House could subsequently discuss how best to refine it in light of some of the valid comments on its unintended consequences.
Senator van Turnhout and, most eloquently, Senator Norris gave the key facts and figures on the number of people in direct provision, many of whom have been in the system for three, five or seven years. None of us would wish to live in this way. I have spent some time in the United States lobbying on behalf of undocumented Irish people, as is my responsibility. On one visit to Washington and New York in 2010, Congressmen and Senators of both parties raised with me directly the issue of direct provision. The Washington Postfeatured a headline on the issue in the week we arrived on that visit. The Minister of State will be aware from his role that many of our colleagues and peers in the United States have a clear view on our efforts to achieve fair play for our citizens residing there, most of whom are working and none of whom is locked up in a direct provision centre. I have been asked by colleagues in the Republican and Democratic parties to explain the reason people have spent seven, eight or nine years in Ireland undocumented, without a pathway to citizenship and unable to work.
All Senators will have relatives or forebears who worked abroad, in some cases illegally. Cousins of mine had illegal status in the United States until recently. Irish people are afforded the opportunity to work in other countries and many of us have done so. Many made good abroad and even where they did not do so, they were at least given an opportunity to contribute to the countries in which they lived. Successive Governments, including the current Government, have precluded people from demonstrating their worth to this country. This creates problems, including racism, because people talk down the good people in question by saying they are not working or contributing to the State. The reason they do not work or contribute is that they are not given an opportunity to do so.
I listened to the previous Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, make noble statements on direct provision in which he described the system as wrong and in need of reform. More recently, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, announced the establishment of a working group to deliberate on direct provision. He informed us that addressing the issue was a priority for him. Today, Senator Conway agreed with most of the points made by Senator Norris. What is the problem? Senator Conway indicated that a number of technical issues arise but how does one address technical issues in legislation? One does so by introducing amendments on Committee Stage.