Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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50. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the current management and conditions of direct provision centres here; his plans to initiate a review into the use of direct provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16536/18]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Direct Provision system encompasses the range of State services including accommodation, food, health and education directly provided to international protection applicants through all the relevant Government Departments and Agencies.  It is a whole-of-government support system for those seeking international protection in Ireland, although the term is more often used to describe the Accommodation Centres provided by the Reception and Integration Agency of my Department.  Notwithstanding the criticisms, particularly in terms of length of stay, the system has proven effective in ensuring that those who come to our country seeking international protection receive food and shelter and have immediate access to our state services.   Over 60,000 people have been provided with shelter since its inception. 

It is not possible to predict how many people may arrive in any given year seeking international protection. However, the system ensures that all applicants can be offered immediate shelter, full board accommodation and a range of services, such as health and education while their applications are being processed. Not every person who seeks international protection chooses to accept this offer, and some choose to live independently or with friends in communities across the country, as they are entirely free to do.

If the system was simply disbanded, as some have been calling for, without a viable alternative, the risks of consigning vulnerable people, who know neither our country, its systems nor our language, to poverty, exploitation and homelessness are multiplied. The Government cannot countenance that. I have not heard a viable alternative put forward as to how a person, who has unestablished needs and turns up here unexpectedly, can be immediately provided with shelter and an acceptable level of care.  

In the absence of an alternative, any commitment to abolish a system that offers instant shelter and support would pose a serious risk to the wellbeing of protection applicants and undermine our international obligations.

As the Deputy will be aware, the system has already been subject to a complete review in 2014.  Mr. Justice Bryan McMahon chaired a Working Group comprised of advocates and officials and made 173 recommendations for reform of the protection process including direct provision. The report was accepted by Government and three separate itemised progress reports on these recommendations were published on my Department’s website, resulting in change being achieved across 98% of the recommendations. 

Very significant changes and improvements have been made to our Direct Provision Centres over the last two years.  For example, substantial reforms to the living conditions of applicants. Five centres now provide independent living (food hall distribution and cooking) facilities to a total of 1,430 residents and it is planned that an additional 900 residents will have access to these facilities before the end of this year.  Indeed by early next year over half of residents will have access to independent living within the next year. 

Of course, individual problems and issues can and do arise when any individual interacts with a service provided by the state but, in such circumstances, where complaints are made and applicants are not happy with how matters are resolved, International Protection Applicants now have full access to the services of the Ombudsman and Ombudsman for Children. 

Following on from the improvements made arising from the recommendations in the McMahon Report, the Government has looked to further consolidate those improvements and build upon them.  In particular, the decision to opt into the (recast) Reception Conditions Directive represents another major reform of the process.  The requirements now being formally placed on our system of Direct Provision to comply formally with EU norms is another welcome advancement, which will be concluded by June of this year.  The opt-in to the EU’s Recast Reception Directive will further improve our processes, subject them to external oversight and place our services on a common European standard. The opt-in process is continuing and this will allow the European Commission to conduct its assessment of the management and conditions pertaining to our Direct Provision system and present their findings in the future. 

I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to the ongoing reform in relation to Direct Provision or any other aspect of our asylum system that may be required in order that we have a system in Ireland that reaches or exceeds the standards required by the Reception Conditions Directive and that will compare favourably with the best systems of our EU partners.