Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for coming. I know he has special responsibility for this. I wish to thank in particular my colleagues, Senators Mullen and Freeman, for drafting and working on this comprehensive motion. It is worthy of support and I was delighted to co-sign it.

Three words that jumped off the page when I read the motion were: dignity, respect and well-being of the person. We can never deny dignity, respect or well-being of anyone. That flows and ebbs through every word of the motion and it is important to acknowledge.

I wish to acknowledge the great work of the former judge, Mr. Justice Bryan McMahon. Senators may have heard him recently on RTÉ in an interview. He is a wonderful man and advocate for reform especially for people who are seeking asylum and for the issues around how their welfare or lack of welfare is being cared for and the attention being given to them. We are lucky to have this brave and courageous man and advocate.

The motion refers to the 2,700 children and adolescents who are waiting for appointments. That is a shocking indictment on the Government and the issue needs to be addressed, as does the issue that so many people are waiting for over a year.

I wish to focus on the issues of asylum seekers and direct provision because I believe these particular aspects do not get the same attention. Many of these people are not involved in the political process. Many have not embedded themselves in the community and do not have advocates. We hear horrendous stories of abuse of these people, whether mental, physical or emotional. They are particularly vulnerable when they are isolated and that is a terrible story in itself. I spoke to one woman - I will not mention the centre where she stayed. She described to me how, at night time when she got back into her room with her husband, they pulled up the mattress to the door to keep her children in so that they would be safe. For a mother to have to pull up the mattress from the floor and prop it up against the door and lie down and sleep there to keep her children safe is startling. She spoke about her deep concerns for the safety of her children and their welfare. No family should be put through that.

I am reminded of a good speech by the Taoiseach in Sligo recently in the context of the Famine. He talked about our people as a migrant people and our experiences of going from or fleeing these shores and our homeland. He spoke of how many of our ancestors sought refuge, support and shelter whether in the USA or wherever and how many people there were badly treated. They were our people. Many people had good experiences too. One would imagine we would be more sympathetic to people in asylum or waiting for asylum in these centres, as well as those in direct provision. That is really important.

I am not going to rehash all the things people have said because they have made excellent contributions. What is this motion attempting to do? The motion is asking the Minister of State to commit to seven simple principles. These are set out in the motion. The motion calls on the Government to ensure staff shortages in the sector are resourced as a priority to meet the current requirements. It refers to working with the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland to maximise the number of specialist training posts for psychiatrists to alleviate the shortage of suitable candidates for vacant positions. It calls for a designated consultant psychiatrist to be identified in each area where a direct provision reception centre is located.

I want to focus on the next two priorities set out in the motion. They call for the introduction of early and adequate assessment for asylum seekers for mental health issues, as well as referrals to specialist services as required. The motion also calls for specialist services, such as psychological services for survivors of torture and other violence, to be available for access by those who need them.

I am keen for the Minister of State to spend the next portion of his time in the House today addressing these seven key points. They are simple. I am pleased that, as Senator Norris has said, the Government is accepting the motion. I would be appalled if the Government did not accept it. I really want the Minister of State to use his time constructively today. He should deal specifically with these seven key points and where he sees difficulties. I see no difficulties but if the Minister of State has difficulties, we want to hear them. It is grand for all of us to come to the House and talk about the issues we all know about, but I would like to leave the Chamber today knowing that the Minister of State is absolutely committed to the delivery of the seven key points that the motion attempts to secure. I want to hear the Minister of State address these seven issues one by one. If we can go away with some assurance then at least that is a start. It is then up to us to keep engaging with the Minister of State and the people in authority to ensure the calls are realised.

Let us be clear about something: people are entitled to their dignity, respect and well-being. We should do nothing less than support these reasonable objects. We live in a republic. We guarantee principles of security and respect for the citizens of our Republic. The Constitution sets out and covers many aspects of the entitlements and rights of people. I am keen to hear what the Minister of State has to say on the matters we have raised.