Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin has called on the Irish government to honour its commitment to take in refugees and to end “the desperate system” of direct provision centres.
In a message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Bishop Nulty, chair of the Bishops’ Commission for Pastoral Care, said that the 2024 deadline for the ending of this “cold and unacceptable system is too far away”.
Those who come to Ireland as refugees and migrants want to contribute to the country, he said.
“Society must honestly ask itself: ‘Why are we preventing refugees and migrants from offering their gifts and talents to help build up the wider community?’ This preventative approach denies our society the benefit of diversity, cultural exchange and progress.”
He said it was incumbent on those in authority to ensure that all is done to improve the lives of those coming to the country for refuge or for work.
Ireland’s reception system for asylum seekers is known as Direct Provision. Those applying for asylum are accommodated in communal institutional centres. Currently there are more than 7,000 people living in Direct Provision centres across Ireland. The system was designed as a short-term measure in 2000, but many applicants experienced lengthy stays, resulting in declining physical and mental health, self-esteem and skills.
Calling on the government to accelerate its implementation of the recent White Paper on the ending of Direct Provision, Bishop Nulty said improvements in the processing of international protection or asylum applications were needed.
Evidence given to the Oireachtas Committee on Public Petitions on 16 September showed the processing of asylum applications were taking “an unduly long time”, he highlighted and that with more than 5,000 people in the system, the median time to get a decision was over two years.
“At a state level, there seems to be a hesitancy to progress to make the lives of refugees and migrants safer, and to accelerate their integration,” he criticised as he appealed to society to ensure that people who are vulnerable are not neglected or left behind as Ireland emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
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