Minister not willing to stand over 'inhumane' Direct Provision facilities

The Minister of State with responsibility for Direct Provision says he will not stand over the "inhumane" system.

It comes amid a series of protests at centres over the facilities for residents while they wait for their asylum applications to be processed.

Junior Minister Aodhan O'Riordain says a working group will meet for the first time this Thursday to come up with proposals to deal with the issue.

He says he is "staking his reputation" on this more than previous ministers in the Department of Justice.

He said: "I'm quite clear on this, I'm not willing to stand over this and I won't. I won't apologise for it.

"I don't think it's humane, I don't think it's tolerable and it's my job to fix it.

"I'm in the job now two months and in that time I've visited two centres, I plan to visit a good few more, and it's my aim to find a solution to it."