Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Tánaiste mar gheall ar an international protection Bill and the McMahon report. Last June the Taoiseach said to our party he would facilitate a debate into the McMahon report and the direct provision system. Since June we have all seen the horrific images of tens of thousands of people making their way from war zones in the Middle East throughout Europe. We have seen the horrifying images of children drowning in the Mediterranean, families having to walk hundreds of miles and Hungarian security forces using violence against these individuals. The Government has stated it will allow for 4,000 people to come into the State. Yesterday the Taoiseach was in Europe to speak about the much-needed financial resources that will be provided. However, there is great fear in society that what we will get is direct provision mark II, and that is a shocking, disgraceful and unjust system. Will the Government agree to a full, urgent and proper debate with regard to refugees in this State and the McMahon report? When will the international protection Bill be published?

The Construction Contracts Act was introduced as a Bill in 2010, 2,000 days ago, but only in 2015 was the chair of the adjudication panel selected. Many workers and subcontractors throughout the State are finding it very difficult to live and make ends meet with regard to getting paid for the work they have done and the products they have supplied. What is the status of the adjudication panel?

On the last point, I understand the expert with regard to chairing and provisioning the panel was appointed recently.

In May.

That work is under way. It is very specialised work for the reasons the Deputy outlined. I understand the Minister is anxious to get somebody who is an outstanding international expert but who also has experience of the Irish construction sector. I understand this has been achieved in the person appointed so the work of the panel has commenced.

With regard to the international protection Bill, beidh an Bille sin os comhair an Tí an bhliain seo. With regard to asylum seekers or refugees coming in the context of the current European crisis, the Deputy may be aware that people will come into orientation and reception centres where they will be identified. Any assistance, including medical assistance, will be given and identified if necessary, and fingerprinting and identification for various purposes will be done. This period should be relatively short because the people will be coming via a European Commission-led programme. Other people have already come from Syria via the UNHCR programme. I was the author of Ireland's first Refugee Act, when I was Minister of State with responsibility for development. I cannot say exactly how long the reception and orientation period will be, but in the case of people coming from places like Bosnia, it was up to six months. This was the last significant group of refugees that we took in on an arranged basis. We have organisations such as the Red Cross, local organisations, parishes and the faith communities offering very strong assistance to people in this particular case. All of this will, as far as possible, be utilised.

We also want to emphasise, in order to help people integrate, that once those coming to Ireland have undergone reception and orientation, we would like to assist them, particularly with English language skills. In my long experience of dealing with this area, the key point for success in integration is language, as it allows people to get a job. My understanding is that people are generally interested in getting employment but much of it is dependent on having a working knowledge of the local language. Fairly advanced arrangements are in place at government level, but the discussions involving the European Commission about the arrangements are still ongoing. That is what we are aware of at the moment.