I wish to refer to the decision that was announced this morning in relation to Oughterard and the fact that the tender for a direct provision centre has been withdrawn. This is incredibly worrying, particularly following on from what happened in Rooskey and Moville. At the end of the day, the direct provision system is far from ideal. It was introduced 20 years ago as a temporary measure. That said, it is what we have on offer for our asylum seekers and refugees, a third of whom are children. Given the current overcrowding in many of our direct provision centres and the fact that almost 1,500 asylum seekers are in emergency accommodation, I am really worried about the message that Ireland is sending out in the context of the last three centres that have been considered. Where do we go from here?

The Deputy's time is up.

One of the key issues raised in Oughterard was a lack of consultation. I agree that there should be consultation with the people of an area, with schools, doctors and so on. That should happen. I brought this up with the Minister myself in the context of direct provision in my area. Where do we go from here?

I thank the Deputy and share her sentiments. Direct provision is far from ideal but we will never be in a position, nor will any other country, to provide a house or an apartment to everyone who comes into the country as an asylum seeker. That is just not possible and no country does that. The sad reality is that the alternative to direct provision is what happens in France, Germany, Greece and Italy, which is camps and containers. I hope we never get to that point in Ireland. Part of the solution is proper consultation with communities. That is important and it has worked in places around the country. We must also explain to people what direct provision is because some have a misconception about it. It is not compulsory and people can leave at any time. They do not need to sign in and sign out. Many asylum seekers work and provide their own accommodation and many stay with friends and relatives. Direct provision is accommodation, light, board, food and spending money. We need to consult with communities but we also need people to understand direct provision better. We also need to explain to people that we will never be in a position to give everyone who walks into the country a house or an apartment. That is not feasible.

The alternative, which is camps and containers, is much worse and I hope it never happens.