Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Seanadóir, and the House, that I am committed to continuing the ongoing process. The Supreme Court judgment is clearly a most important judgment that will have significant implications for our international protection system across Government. I assure the House that my Department has made significant efforts to reform our protection system to ensure that applicants do not spend long periods awaiting a final decision on their application. This dovetails with persons granted status having an automatic right to work.

Our previous multi-layered and sequential system had many more opportunities for appeals on judicial reviews and ongoing legal challenges. Many of these did not foster a timely process of engagement. The single procedure is streamlining the process with the aim of providing first instance decisions as quickly as possible. My Department is also working hard to improve the living conditions in State provided accommodation centres, particularly for families. This is in line with a commitment given in A Programme for a Partnership Government. The latest update on the implementation of the recommendations of the McMahon report over the past two years by many Departments and agencies will be published shortly.

I am committed to continuing the positive work on this process. The Supreme Court ruling is now a priority focus for this ongoing programme of reforms and will receive full and careful consideration by the interdepartmental working group to be established by Government to propose an appropriate way forward in the shortest possible timeframe. Senators will appreciate that the judgment has raised issues not only of importance, but of some degree of complexity, which will obviously require detailed and careful consideration.