Children living in direct provision accommodation are being denied “normal family life”

Asylum seekers in Ireland cannot continue to live in the current system of direct provision accommodation, the minister for education has stated.

Speaking at the launch of the Bualadh Bos Children’s Festival in Limerick, Jan O’Sullivan also said children living in direct provision accommodation are being denied “normal family life”.

Ms O’Sullivan said the direct provision system of accommodation is “not a good system” and has supported comments made by the minister for state, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who criticised the way direct provision centres for asylum seekers are being operated.

Mr Ó Ríordáin, who has responsibility for equality, new communities and culture, said the system is “inhumane” and said the conditions that people are being expected to live in are intolerable. He also said the time people are spending in these centres was outrageous and said legislation will limit the period someone spends in the system to between six and 12 months.

“I fully support my colleague Aodhán Ó Ríordáin who has stated quite clearly he feels that direct provision is really not something we can continue to have in our system and I think Minister Fitzgearld has also expressed views in this regard,” Ms O’Sullivan said.

“I will be meeting with him shortly because I am also concerned about the educational opportunities for children who may have gone right through most of their school life in Ireland and still have difficulties in being able to go on to higher education. So there are some specific educational areas as well but I do believe this is an issue we need to address as quickly as possible.”

When asked about the repeated calls for the closure of the Mount Trenchard asylum seeker centre in Foynes Co Limerick, and a protest by direct provision residents in Cork today, Ms O’Sullivan said: “It is a general issue with regard to direct provision. I know there aren’t any children in Mount Trenchard but I have a particular concern for children who are living in direct provision in situations where they can’t have a normal family life.”

When asked about Mount Trenchard, Ms Fitzgerald said she is planning to meet with the Irish Refugee Council to discuss the matter. She insisted she wants asylum seekers to live in the “most humane system possible” and said the head of the Reception and Integration Agency, a division of the Department of Justice, is involved in discussions.

“I am awaiting a time that when [Irish Refugee Council] can meet, but I want to discuss with them the actions we are taking and indeed we have set up a series of meetings with the residents.”