Joint Committee on Public Petitions to meet with Ombudsman to discuss his 2020 report on Direct Provision

The Ombudsman will be accompanied to the meeting at 12.30pm in Committee Room 4 of Leinster House by his colleagues Sean Garvey and Linda Joyce.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Martin Browne said: “Many of the complaints made to the Ombudsman in 2020 regarding direct provision were related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Issues raised in the complaints included the movement of people from existing accommodation, the transfer of people to self-isolate in the Citywest complex, and allegations that staff within direct provision centres were not ensuring compliance with public health guidelines.

“While the number of complaints dealt with last year fell to 61, down from 168 in 2019, this has been put down to the fact that staff from the Ombudsman’s office were unable to take complaints in person at direct provision centres due to the travel restriction related to the pandemic. The Committee looks forward to discussing these and related matters in his report with Mr Tyndall and his team.”

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions is a standing Committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas and has 11 Members, seven from the Dáil and four from the Seanad.

The meeting in the Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.