Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom aontú leis an méid atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Naughton maidir leis an kerosene contamination i bPáirc Moyola in nGaillimh. Tá ceist mhór le freagairt ansin i dtaobh cén fáth nár tugadh fógra do na daoine atá ina gcónaí ansin níos túisce.

Yesterday, I engaged with stakeholders in London on the issue of the Irish diaspora there. One of the major points that they raised with me related to voting rights in certain elections. In the Government's recent policy on the diaspora, examining the issue of voting rights in presidential elections was laid at the door of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Kelly. The stakeholders want the process to be accelerated and enfranchisement put in place as soon as possible. The concern is that, since the Government has only one year left in office, this issue could be kicked to touch. The stakeholders have asked whether the Seanad might debate the Minister's plans over the next year for facilitating people to vote in presidential elections at the least.

I wish to raise a major concern. The House has often debated the direct provision system, asylum seekers, etc. This morning, the CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, Ms Sue Conlan, made it public that she had tendered her resignation from the Government's working group on the protection process. She did not resign lightly. For years, she has given a significant commitment to the issue of refugee status and so on. She cited as one of her reasons the publication of the heads of the international protection Bill, the most significant change in refugee law in almost 20 years, by the Minister for Justice and Equality without the working group being allowed sight of it or to discuss it. She stated, "Given the importance of the Bill, which contains much more than a single protection procedure, it is difficult to understand why the decision was taken to withhold it from the working group". She also stated, "Any attempt within the Working Group to propose change which involves legislation, such as putting accommodation and support in a Bill or changing legislation to extend the role of the Ombudsman or Children's Ombudsman has been resisted by the Department of Justice". To put matters in a nutshell, it is a damning indictment of the working group that a key stakeholder like Ms Conlan has seen a need to resign. We must debate the working group's work with the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin. Media commentary has noted that the group has been used as an argument in High Court cases relating to direct provision. This is a serious issue and it is important that we debate it as soon as possible.