Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Direct provision is inhumane and amounts to State-sponsored poverty and exclusion, particularly for children. People are forced to live in substandard accommodation and often have to share it with strangers. The eminent retired judge, Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness, said that direct provision centres will be the subject of redress boards in the future unless something is done. It is a serious matter. The Rape Crisis Centre has been involved with this issue and 148 child protection referrals have been made to the HSE arising from direct provision centres. It is an issue we must consider from a child protection and welfare perspective more than anything else.

Other Members have raised the fact that allowances paid to families are quite unbelievable. An adult in direct provision receives €19.60 while a child receives €9.60. It is disgraceful that the amounts have not changed in the past 15 years. In 2014, when direct provision was established, the total budget was €51 million. Only €3.5 million of that sum was given to the individuals. The balance was given to businesses, essentially, to run centres such as Mosney and Hatch Hall.