Following Visit to Centres in Mosney and Monaghan Oireachtas Health Committee to Pursue Concerns Re Aspects of Asylum Seeker Welfare
Issued : Thursday 22 July, 2010
There are some aspects of asylum seeker welfare which are still not being adequately met, a delegation from the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children has found today following a visit to two State Reception and Integration centres in Mosney and Monaghan.
The Committee visited the facilities to get a firsthand look at how the current application system works and to examine whether the health and social needs of asylum seekers are being properly catered for.
The delegation consisted of Seán O’Fearghail TD, Kathleen Lynch TD, Margaret Conlon TD, Caoimhin O Caolain TD and Senator Phil Prendergast.
The Committee found that while some facets of the system were satisfactory, there are still elements such as; transfer of residents from different centres, quality of accommodation, health impact and time taken to process applications needed to improve.
Committee Chairman, Sean O’Fearghail TD said;"The opportunity we had today to tour two reception centres and meet with their residents was a real eye opener. We saw for ourselves how asylum seekers in Ireland live on a daily basis and heard about how they feel regarding the situation they are in.
We discovered that some the accommodation arrangements, particularly at the Mosney centre, while not luxurious are quite satisfactory, but that standards elsewhere are certainly not up to this level.
At Mosney, we heard serious concerns from medical staff about the decision to move some residents from the facility. They expressed strong views that some of those set to be transferred may not be medically fit to do so. We received assurances in this regard that this would not be the case, however clearly there needs to be improved communication between management and physicians on this hugely significant health matter.
One of the constant issues raised by residents was the inordinate length of time it takes to have asylum applications processed. We learnt how this delay and uncertainty can cause serious mental health conditions for residents and have in some cases lead to severe depression.
As the Health Committee we are particularly focused on the health impact which their situation can have on asylum seekers, so we intend to consider this matter in greater detail and may well produce a set of recommendations to try and address any shortcomings."
