Brian Walsh (Galway West, Independent)
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119. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans for the implementation of recommendations arising from the recent working group report on the direct provision system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39800/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Working Group on Improvements to the Protection Process, including Direct Provision and Supports to Asylum Seekers which was published on 30 June 2015, contains 173 recommendations many of which have implications for a number of Government Departments and services. The Government recommended, when approving the publication of the Report, that it should in the first instance be the subject of a detailed discussion at the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform.

The Committee held its first discussion on the Report on 13 July, 2015. At this meeting the Committee agreed that my Department should prepare a report for the Cabinet Committee, in conjunction with relevant Departments, on the legal, financial and practical implications of the Report's recommendations. Relevant Departments were contacted seeking their views on the Report's recommendations, asking them to identify any impacts and issues that may arise and timescales for implementation. An analysis, based on observations received from the relevant Departments and agencies, of the recommendations contained in the Report of the Working Group has been prepared for the Cabinet Committee.

One of the key recommendations in the report which goes to the heart of the length of time people spend in Direct Provision is the early enactment of the International Protection Bill and in that regard, the Government has decided to bring forward as a major priority legislation which will provide for the introduction of a single applications procedure for international protection. This reform will simplify and streamline the existing arrangements and provide applicants with a final decision on their protection application in a more straightforward and timely fashion. This is aimed at addressing one of the key issues identified in the report, that is, the length of time persons remain in the direct provision system.