PRINGLE CALLS FOR ABOLISHMENT OF DIRECT PROVISION

Thomas Pringle TD has today called for the abolishment of direct provision, describing the accommodation centres and the system itself as “effectively open prisons”.

“There are currently 4,760 asylum seekers in direct provision and a staggering 30% of these have been in this system for five years or more, and I know of one person who has been in direct provision for nearly 10 years. This is profoundly wrong where these people are effectively living in open prisons which in many cases have a considerable effect on their mental health.

“The people in this system come here because they have sought international protection and have no other means of supporting themselves – they are vulnerable and looking for our assistance. But they are left in the limbo of the direct provision system, often for years, in dire conditions while they await the outcome of their cases for refugee status.

“Minister Shatter outlined to me how his department are planning to speed up the application process, but the fact is that direct provision just isn’t working. Ireland is one of just two of the 27 EU member states which have opted out of the ‘Reception Directive’, which provides for minimum conditions for asylum seekers, including the right to work after waiting for a year for a decision.

“Direct provision must be abolished and be replaced with a more humane system whereby asylum seekers can live with dignity and gain the skills needed to integrate and contribute to Irish society, alongside a reformed application process on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality.

“We have seen how the mistreatment of others in the past has been acknowledged and addressed this week, but as the Taoiseach stated himself we as a people must learn from mistakes of the past. To do that, we need to take a look around us now and recognise how asylum seekers are being treated in this country today,” stated Pringle.

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