Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin calls on the Minister to begin the immediate phasing out of the system over a 12-month period. In the interim, oversight of the system should be given to the Ombudsman for Children and to the Office of the Ombudsman, with immediate effect. The Committee of Public Accounts should be given responsibility for oversight of all financial transactions relating to the system. There should be an immediate move to self-catering within the current system as this would give some degree of dignity and autonomy to residents. The policy of dispersal should cease immediately and residents should be entitled to apply for and receive State welfare transfers. Asylum seekers should be allowed to work while awaiting a decision on their application for leave to remain.

In light of the appalling waste and tragedy that is direct provision and in light of the additional factor of 30,000 undocumented people living in the

Therefore, let us at least have the basic decency not to pretend that some fancy integration policy with all the right buzz words is a sign of our commitment to justice and fairness when it comes to asylum seekers and non-EU immigrants. If we are to take ourselves seriously as legislators, there is an obligation on us to deal with the structural and institutional underbelly of immigration. It is insulting and downright disingenuous of us to pretend we care, when in reality we are prepared to stand over clear abuses of human rights while at the same time utilising the full rigours of the State to introduce draconian immigration legislation. Indeed, perhaps, we would be far better off forgetting the shallow rhetoric of integration and remembering instead, that there is no such thing as an illegal human being.

I am very concerned about a motion that is to come before this House tomorrow. It is being brought forward by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, and was debated in the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform today. This proposal will reduce freedom of information access in regard to the Refugee Appeals Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal and will limit any FOI requests in their regard from October 2014. I believe this is a retrograde step. It certainly begs the question as to why there is such a reinforcing of the veil of secrecy around the Department of Justice and Equality when it comes to issues concerning refuge and asylum. This is a sinister and retrograde step and I call on all Senators to oppose this motion tomorrow. It is appalling that it is even coming before us.

I welcome the positive steps that are being made, but positive engagements and initiatives certainly do not equate to a policy and integration strategy. I hope that when the Minister of State comes back to us with a strategy, we can have a fuller debate on all issues related to people living in Ireland today.