Ms Sharon Mpofu:

To add to what Senator Seery Kearney said, when it comes to the workforce, a lot of qualified people are international protection applicants in direct provision. A great deal of red tape around that is preventing people from sharing their experiences and what qualifications they hold. There are doctors, nurses and teachers in direct provision but there are limitations in regard to getting a work permit, and some people fear undergoing Garda vetting. It is a good thing to be Garda vetted if someone is going to be dealing with children.

When it comes to Tusla, people in direct provision are often terrified at the mention of it because most direct provision centres say they will call either Tusla or the applicant. I am speaking from my experience of direct provision, although I am not in direct provision anymore. A first-time mum who has just given birth through a C-section will have no help or support. If she has just been told she cannot leave the child alone in the room but needs to go outside to cook in a shared kitchen, how is that possible for someone who has just had a C-section? When she tries to go, she will be told Tusla will be called on her. When Tusla is mentioned to most people, it is almost as though the Garda will be called on them. They become afraid.

That is why some people end up doing things they are not supposed to do, because of the fear they are facing and the challenges the centres are presenting to those people. There might be a shared kitchen downstairs, but if you have a small baby and no one to help, with no visitors allowed in the accommodation, how are you supposed to survive? These people want to go out to work and study but they need to have been in the system for three years to be allowed to access education or to have been in the system for six months to be able to access a work permit. If people could get work permits earlier, some of the crisis in the workforce might be alleviated. It is always reported on the news that once people between the ages of 18 and 24 get a qualification, they emigrate. We have people in the country who are willing to work but cannot because of red tape. If that were looked at, it might alleviate the crisis we face.