Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am very disappointed with the Minister of State's response that the Cabinet committee is still looking at this issue. He has stated, as have Senators, that this legislation has been under consideration over a number of years but it has been left sitting on a shelf. It is not as if this proposal has come out of the blue. The right to work is a fundamental issue in regard to asylum internationally. It is a fundamental building block that needs to be put in place. The Minister of State has visited centres and he speaks to people in direct provision on a regular basis.One of the greatest frustrations of asylum seekers in direct provision is that they are not allowed to work. We have people from all kinds of backgrounds. I have met astrophysicists, bakers, hairdressers, bank managers, politicians and journalists who are living in a system in which they are not allowed to work. It is totally frustrating and some of them say it is soul destroying that this right is not given to them. The Minister of State needs to do the bold thing here. While I am sure he is being advised by the Department and the officials not to move on this, we have been waiting for it for years. It is not something that should be kicked to touch but is a fundamental issue for all the asylum seekers within the system. It needs to be acted upon and the Minister of State should push it himself to make sure that it is pushed through as part of this legislation.