The Irish Refugee Council has responded to the Ombudsman Peter Tyndall's report on Direct Provision Centres in the face of Covid-19.

"The highly contagious nature of the virus brings into sharp relief just how unsuitable and unsustainable it is to have three or more people in the same room", the Ombudsman's report reads. "As is the case in many Direct Provision centres, particularly those being used on an emergency basis".

According to the report, there was a surge in the number of complaints issued to the office of the Ombudsman in 2019. But, as Hot Press has reported before, many asylum seekers are afraid to come forward with complaints for fear of their refuge-seeking applications.

Nick Henderson, the CEO of the Refuge Council, issued a response to the report this morning (April 23rd), saying the Ombudsman "clearly has grave concerns about the Direct Provision system which echo what we and many others have said for some time". He continued: "his statement that it is ‘simply unacceptable that people who have sought refuge in this country can find themselves in accommodation that is entirely unsuitable for their needs for a prolonged length of time’, is striking.”

"In particular the report raises serious concerns about the use of emergency accommodation and the problems people experience while living in it: location, schooling, food, sharing of rooms and laundry facilities. As an organisation we have been working with people living in such accommodation for the last year and a half and have also seen many of these issues".

Connect with the Irish Refugee Council here.

Connect with the office of the Ombudsman here.