21 DFómh 2014, 18:05
The issue of the Direct Provision System within Ireland is on the agenda of Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions tomorrow, when it meets with representatives from the Irish Refugee Council, Anti-Deportation Ireland, Doras Luimní and SPIRASI.
The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) is an NGO which specialises in working with and for refugees in Ireland; the Anti-Deportation Ireland (ADI) campaigns against forced deportation in Ireland and for the abolition of the direct provision system; Doras Luimní works to support and promote the rights of all migrants living in Limerick, while SPIRASI is a Dublin-based humanitarian, intercultural NGO that works with asylum seekers, refugees and other disadvantaged migrant groups.
Chairman of the Committee Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD says: “Our Committee as part of their work programme for 2014, agreed to examine the Direct Provision System and at our meeting tomorrow we will discuss three specific aspects, as follows:
Firstly, we will examine the Reception and Integration Agency and how it functions. Here the Committee looks forward to hearing a diverse range of voices who are working with asylum seekers. Tomorrow's meeting with national and local organisations campaigning for change will add to the Committee’s knowledge on issues such as the direct provision allowance, the quality of accommodation at the centres, the complaints process and the lengthy time spans in processing applications.
\"Secondly, we will wish to assess how the statutory jurisdiction of the Ombudsman can be fully inclusive of the Direct Provision System, including the Appeals System and the Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service as it relates to the Direct Provision System.
\"Thirdly, we will explore how to ensure the Freedom of Information Acts are fully applicable, in all respects, to the public administration of the Direct Provision Centres; The Reception and Integration Agency; The Garda National Immigration Bureau; The Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service as it relates to asylum seekers and that the provisions of the FOI legislation apply to all suppliers of goods and services, whether from the Private or Public Sectors, as it relates to asylum seekers and the direct provision system.\"
he meeting takes place tomorrow Wednesday 22 October in Committee Room 3, LH 2000 at 4 pm. It will be broadcast live on Oireachtas TV (UPC 207 and Sky 574). Public proceedings can also be viewed online here.
Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.
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Committee Membership
Deputies:
Richard Boyd-Barrett, Independent
Noel Harrington, Fine Gael
Michael Healy-Rae, Independent
Seamus Kirk, Fianna Fáil
Michael P. Kitt, Fianna Fáil
Pádraig MacLochlainn (Chairman), Sinn Fein
Helen McEntee, Fine Gael
Michelle Mulherin, Fine Gael
Derek Nolan (Vice-Chair), Labour
Patrick O'Donovan, Fine Gael
Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin
Sean Kenny, Labour
John Halligan, Independent
Jack Wall, Labour
Senators:
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Sinn Féin
Jimmy Harte, Labour
Tony Mulcahy, Fine Gael
Susan O’Keeffe, Labour
Ned O'Sullivan, Fianna Fáil