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Updated 22 January, 9pm
61 PEOPLE HAVE died in Direct Provision in Ireland since 2002 – 16 of whom were children aged five and under.
That’s according to figures released in a parliamentary question to Sinn Féin TD Micheál Colreavy, by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald.
The Minister said there was one case of suicide involving a newly-arrived asylum seeker who took his own life in 2008 while in hospital.
The number of deaths are as followed:
The ages of those who died are contained in this table:
“While all of these deaths are, of course, tragic, they need to be viewed proportionately and against the background that RIA has provided accommodation for almost 53,000 persons over the course of the 14 years the direct provision policy has been in place,” said the Minister.
Karen McHugh of Doras Luimní, which works with asylum seekers in Limerick, told TheJournal.ie: “61 is a huge amount of deaths. That is not acceptable at all in Direct Provision. It may be a proportionately small number, but that doesn’t make any excuses for what it is.”
Sinn Féin’s Trevor Ó Clochartaigh has asked Minister Aodhán Ó Riordáin to explain why so many young children died in Direct Provision.
Speaking in the Seanad, he said: “This is a shocking figure.”
He criticised the Department and Reception and Integration Agency’s for their failure to collect and put into the public domain in-depth data in relation to health outcomes for pregnant asylum seekers and their children.
“We have a responsibility and a duty to ask why children between the ages of 0-5 account for a quarter of all deaths of people living in Direct Provision,” said Ó Clochartaigh.
This rate of infant mortality would not be tolerated in the wider society and it raises fundamental questions about the suitability of Direct Provision for women and children.
Last year, the then-Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, said that the RIA does not and cannot hold or have access to death certificates. This means it does not have access to the causes of death of people who passed away while in Direct Provision.
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Direct Provision is not the problem. Successful asylum applicants are out of DP in a relatively short period of time. The problem here is the ridiculous appeals process that enables unsuccessful applicants to remain in the state for years. Multiple appeals can be lodged by one person and then on behalf of every family member. That is the issue that needs to be tackled but the legal profession are making a fortune and all at the tax payers expense.
Not really, even genuine legitimate asylum seekers are left to fester in DP accomodation for a long time; the appea;s thing is neither here nor there when it comes to dignity of existence
That’s actually not true Stephen, according to another article here about DP, successful applicants are in DP for 6 months on average. That’s not a long time at all.
In my experience Andrea it is true, despite what that article might say. I know a number of people who have had their status acknowledged for well over 6 months and yet still remain in DP accomodation. Although I must say I agree with you, the main problem is how long the decision-making process takes
The main problem is that people who should have been deported years ago are still here clogging up the system with their multiple appeals. This problem is unheard of in other countries and it’s disgraceful. Genuine asylum seekers and refugees need to be taken care of and quickly. The rest are just chancers, economic migrants and should be deported. Valuable resources are being wasted here and it’s just wrong.
Andrea – is it the fault of the children that they died? Regardless of the appeals argument, having kids die means the system socks.
We don’t know how they died (apart from the still births which would have happened in a maternity hospital. Should we close the hospitals too?) They may have been ill or may have had accidents, people die every day for goodness sake!
Hi they are choking the courts with the appeals system….that would explain delay!
You might be right in a hard-nosed logistical sense Andrea, but there are many individuals who have a perfect right to be here yet who are still subject to dehumanising Direct Provision regulations, and their cases really need to be addressed, and yet aren’t
May I ask you how you know that these people have a right to be here? Do you work in an official governmental capacity with the applicants? This is a genuine question by the way, I’m not being sarcastic.
You are being sarcastic – at least be honest.
I’m actually not. I’m asking because it sounds like he works with asylum applicants but I don’t want to assume how or in what capacity.
No I don’t work with them. There are just a good few asylum seekers in my town and I know a few of them and really like them and sort of empathise with their plight under DP. It is a fairly grim existence
@ Dara O’Brien O come to Ireland people of the world, we will grant you eternal life along with magical apartments and jobs that fall from out skies, for we are the eternal life givers. Behold our great prophet Dara, destroyer of racism and giver of eternal everlasting life.
Did they call your middle name after your heart by any chance Andrea?
I totally agree with you.When Sean Quinn was running his insurance business in Ireland he tried to cut the solicitors and lawyers out of the loop whereby the legal costs of processing a claim for damages/personal injuries etc are often double the amount the claimant recieves after years of letter writing and expensive haggling by lawyers.
They have a new gravy train now as you indicate.
Mot only are lawyers making a fortune but numerous opportunistic businessmen who have opened hostels to accomadate them are also making fortunes.
There are two hundred million people in Nigeria, for example.
i have no doubt that at any given time in history (right now.!) a proportion of them (many tribes, many religions) are suffering oppression and injustice, maybe even injury or torture.
Civil wars are rampant in the African continent.
Ireland has 5 million population.
In a uniquely short space of time we have absorbed a 10% increase in foreign residents-many of whom have become Irish citizens.
Other countries who have colonized Africa (England) also have a large proportion of citizens who were born (or their parents) in former colonies around the globe.
Proportionally they have not absorbed similar numbers as has Ireland.
One person in one of your article’s indicated she came here from a country” to which there was no direct flight from Ireland” ,therefore she “felt safe”.
Safe from her oppressors or safe from being repatriated if her political asylum claim was denied.?
There needs to be root and branch reform of this whole racket-a racket it is-make no mistake, and lawyers grow richer, feeding off big sow taxpayer, like a litter of greedy piglets.
I hope the various refugee councils are not on the phone to have my comment (or that of Andrea Rock Massey) deleted as being “racist”.
It all has to stop.
Can we have the cost of all these appeals and accomodation and so forth for the past ten years published please, in your next article.
Good Lord John, is the best attempt at an insult you could come up with?
The reference that you made to personal injuries relates to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB). Sean Quinn had nothing to do with it. Prior to that, Quinn Insurance were delaying paying out on personal injuries claims as long as they possibly could. They even had a special team of experts who would review every case immediately prior to payout. This could be years after the claim was lodged and after every other avenue to avoid payment had been exhausted. These people were paid huge bonuses if they could find the loophole that had been missed by the system Completely immoral and your statement about Sean Quinn irks me.
Not intended as an insult Andrea, more as a “wake-up and read back over your posts”call, to realise the lack of sympathy or empathy in them. No consideration given by you to the fact that you are taking about people ” clogging up the system”, people with hopes and feelings. You are not just dealing with figures you know.
There is nothing harsh about any of my comments John. Why on earth should I feel sympathy for people who have had their applications denied but refuse to leave? Everyone remembers Pamela Izevbekhai, we all felt so sorry for her and her poor baby who died in Nigeria from FGM. Of course it turned out she was nothing but a liar (an exceptionally good one who happened to come from a very wealthy family) who cost the tax payer close to a million euros in court costs before her deportation. So, no, I don’t feel sorry for economic migrants who are told to leave because there is absolutely nothing to feel sorry about. I will take the decisions made by the experts and rely on their training and expertise and not listen to any more nonsense sob stories. We cannot afford to be wasting money like this, it’s disgusting.
Multiply appeals …this is to facilitate the lawyers bleeding the system. The greatest impediment to this state is bloodsucking vampire lawyers. Look at what shatters firm earns of child and family
I know how at least one of those kids died. His father and uncle caused him to bleed to death on their kitchen table after their attempt to home circumcise him.
It’s odd that the risk of genital mutilation has also been used as an appeal argument against being deported
Yes but the answer lies in following the money.
Who profits from the misery of others?
Same old story as history repeats itself in Ireland.
Obviously but when they die through poor care, neglect etc. then it is a cause for national sorrow and complaint, a cause to stop, improve services as they are clearly inadequate.
The cuts have cut too deep.
25,000 people die annually each year in Ireland. All deaths are a tragedy to those who love them. There ate no statistics for the reason for these deaths. Are we to take these 61 in the context of the CSO figures for Irish of 25,000-30,000 per annum . Or is this another lobbying biased one?
Some go because they have nobody, alone and unable to get about.
As a nurse, I was disgusted that the decision not to resuscitate was put on so many peoples’ charts simply because they are alone in the world. please note the lonely onlies also are entitled to live and just need some assistance, transport being a major component to reach shops, medical supplies and the odd bit of friendship via a group or something.
They also would like a good net service and an animal.
It us not that much really is it?
It is quicker and cheaper I will admit, to just let them all die.
Without the causes of these deaths being made available, this report is meaningless at best. For all we know, the people may have arrived here terminally ill.
It would be interesting to know how many were born in DP over the last 14 years.
The amount of denial is unreal. Shame shame shame on Ireland. Je suis Charlie me …
What do you suggest? To allow any person with no identification enter the country? To give them accommodation or work that is not even there for nearly half a million people? Do you have any idea of the numbers coming from Africa to Europe every year? Do you realise that the third world countries are expanding by 80 million a year above the death rate? Do you want to send out the message that its a free for all over here? That there are jobs for everyone that comes and that there is no recession or mass emigration. You need to separate your emotions from the issue and use common sense.
Our problem has never been too many refugees, that’s just a distraction. We are a comparatively rich country whose wealth is squandered by a government which disproportionately rewards itself and its many cronies. Direct your annoyance towards them!
Its a problem that hundreds of millions are being filtered in the cronies pockets through DP is it not? You are contradicting yourself. Wake up.
No actually, I think Direct Provision is a load of wasteful shite, millions could be saved if asylum seekers were treated like proper citizens. They have loads to contribute instead of being treated like idle parasites under DPH
Contribute in what manner? Skilled Europeans with several languages (about 400 thousand of them) are finding it a bit hard to contribute these days. What makes people like you tick? Are you really that deluded?
One can contribute in so many ways, so DP is just a complete criminal waste of resources, treating capable adult people like useless parasites. You are right to be annoyed at the whole set-up but you’re misdirecting your annoyance
Its criminal to try and con your way into a state in the guise of an abused political asylum seeker and then take advantage of the loopholes in the law in order to prolong your stay. You are conning the people of the land and the only thing that you have to contribute is more lies.
But there are very few who do that. The majority of human beings are decent, and they mustn’t be tarred with that brush
Over 90% of asylum seekers are bogus. That is a fact. I would like to remind you of that terminally ill child that was refused a medical card recently. You think about that kid when you are defending the behaviour of people that are draining the resources of this country by trying to slip through the backdoor and be handed keys to the front.
The refusal of a medical card to that child was the fault of an inept civil service and them alone. Nothing to do with asylum seekers. If you think otherwise you’re falling into the trap of directing blame at the vulnerable instead of those in power who are actually responsible for these things, and I’m sure you’re too intelligent to do that
Where are you getting your facts from. Ans are you implying that an Irish child is more deserving than a person from another country? I always thought we were all people!! All deserving to live with dignity and respect.
Well who is the more vulnerable then? The sick Irish child with no access to a medical card, or the asylum seeker with full medical card access? Personally I would feel a bit more vulnerable with no medical card. They don’t look very vulnerable when they are marching down the streets of Dublin with all the kiddies at the front holding strange placards and demanding free homes and jobs.
Also there is a thing called a budget, civil servants are given budgets, the rules are tightened when the budget is smaller. The budget for medical cards is directly affected by bogus asylum seekers because money is being squandered on them. Is that too hard to grasp.
@Asea-biz-ireland try reading before mouthing.
I still think what e should really be angry about is a government which handsomely rewards itself and its friends, disproportionately to its paltry achievements, and there are plenty of Irish people who milk the system just as much if not more than a few non-nationals
A few? Over 90% is not a few. It’s called the vast majority. We are not talking about dodgy politicians here, we are talking about dodgy asylum seekers. There are plenty of articles on the government to comment on. I still think that we have more of a responsibility to out own blood kin before the blood kin of other countries. When we can look after our own, and that means all of them, then we can start looking after others.
I still think it’s just a few dodgy asylum seekers, and that the majority are genuine, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part, I don’t think so though. I am fairly uneducated on the subject though, it’s just a gut feeling I have. Better go to bed to my horror just seen it’s thtee o clock, good to have a civilised debate without any spite or name-calling!
@stephen kavanagh
You could not be more wrong, there are no genuine cases here, they all bypassed other countries to come here for the big welfare cheque, and gullible bleeding hearts like you are aiding and abetting them.
We cannot solve Africa’s overpopulation problem.
You are only half right Stephen.
While the politicians and their cronies are busy lining their own pockets, they ignore the abuses and waste of money that enriches professions such as lawyers.
We are still awaiting root and branch reform of the antiquated, self governing body, called “the Law Society”
Alan Shatter’s demise through arrogance, and complicity with the vested interests of An Garda Siochana, has also done for the plans to tackle the vested interests in the legal profession.
” I am fairly uneducated on the subject though, it’s just a gut feeling I have.”
Yes.
Yes, but that is all part of the 9 stages of auto genocide and how many commenters are falling for it all?
Yes every human being on mother Earth has a skill.
Did Mother Earth create borders/countries for her children? No.
War created borders/countries with the victors carving up our Mother and making a profit from it.
Eons ago Irish people traveled the world without pass ports – admiralty law – where the being is a corporation person and the Minister owns our pass ports…all Roman law of the sea – ports- air ports, sea ports. Most people have not got a clue.
So basically its all right for the Irish to go to Africa etc and work but not the other way around?
would that be the legal profession controlled by the RC cult? with the annual Red Mass?
The barristers swearing allegiance to the London B.A.R corporation?
You’d swear people didn’t die outside of these centres from the comments within the article.
““61 is a huge amount of deaths. That is not acceptable at all in Direct Provision. It may be a proportionately small number, but that doesn’t make any excuses for what it is.” -what it is is a natural occurrence ffs.
They’re here largely at the largesse of the state and a little gratitude on their part would be nice, not the sense of entitlement to more they have in it’s place.
Where do these people fly in from?
Their ingrates because they didn’t get that 4 bed semi in Blanch when they came to the country as they were led to believe
It’s actually over five times below the national average of 6.34 per 1000.
Is she trying to say that no one should die in DP?
All these “asylum seekers” came to Ireland through other countries. Why didn’t they seek asylum in these countries?
This is very reasonable question, that unfortunately journalists don’t ask.
Because other countries are good at determine whether the asylum seeker is genuine or just a masqueraded migrant worker not allowing them to lodge endless appeals.
Doras luimni, mouthpiece of ruhamna and the immigrant council of ireland are the problem. Must call into karen soon and ask can i see their books
Irish homeless starve people coz they cant get a meal.
“Irish homeless starve people”
Intriguing …
Oh, the irony.
Place a comma somewhere, there’s a good poster.
I hope we do not pay to fly their coffins all over the world. I would not be surprised.
There are no real refugees here. Most western Isle in the EU in all that.
Stephen Kavanagh = dangerous and deluded. Damien Moran has rung rings around you on this thread and I for one as a hard pressed taxpayer am grateful to him. Are you working yourself Stephen? You’re certainly not well informed as the vast majority of people in these centres are illegal immigrants.
Direct Provision is a disgrace that must be got rid of. So many people with such ability to contribute meaningfully to society completely denied the means of doing so
Feel free to stump up the money to house asylum seekers or is closing the DP centre’s with no follow up the extent of your thinking? People always have grandiose ideas when it comes to other peoples money
We already stump up far too much money to the private sector owners of DP centres – come to think of it DP is the perfect description: we are getting facked by everywhere by everyone involved, at the same time.
How do you know these people have ‘so much to contribute’ ?
I knew about ten fake asylum seekers. I didn’t say anything cause it wasn’t n issue back then. They enjoyed rent allowance and social welfare. All carrying fake passports. They warned me 15 years ago how bad it would get in Ireland as they had seen it in other European countries they applied for asylum in. Don’t believe me if you don’t want to I can only say what I know. They had not been granted asylum and still had access to welfare..
yes and it was all planned this way to keep the sheeple busy- like here- attacking the outsiders.
Its working and its all part of auto genocide.
Just waiting for the racist train to pull into the journal station any minute now …
Anybody who gets racist is a small minded bigot who should not have their comment viewed for long, these are human beings and somebody’s child, sibling, father, mother, uncle, aunt and remember us Irish went all over the world looking to work to better our families lives so we should not be quick to judge and these people should be freed to take up employment and contribute to society and not be treated like animals, some of these peoples stories would make our hair stand on end, some of our own families have been treated same way as these poor souls and we should not forget that it is just plainly wrong to treat people like this, give them chance to live life and be an example to rest of world on how we should treat all people as equals because at the end of the day we all are no matter what colour our skin or what country we came from, come on Ireland remember the past so we don’t make same mistakes in our future
Here here Darren
Pure waffle
Wake up and stop spouting idealistic nonsense. Without access to the death certificates there’s simply no way of knowing how they died. It could easily be that, excluding the suicide after just entering the country, those who died already had terminal illnesses when entering the country.
The ratio of deaths in DP is nowhere near as high as the national average ratio.
What about the realist train
So now it’s “their dying in DP” is the latest stick to beat us with, people die all the time there is nothing unusual about that. Whats next weeks latest ‘free house for asylum seekers’ article going to be: “there’s more rain over the DP centres, DP must end!”
The Dublin Regulation (Regulation No 604/2013; sometimes the Dublin III Regulation; previously the Dublin II Regulation and Dublin Convention) is a European Union (EU) law that determines the EU Member State responsible to examine an application for asylum seekers seeking international protection under the Geneva Convention and the EU Qualification Directive, within the European Union. It is the cornerstone of the Dublin System, which consists of the Dublin Regulation and the EURODAC Regulation, which establishes a Europe-wide fingerprinting database for unauthorised entrants to the EU. The Dublin Regulation aims to “determine rapidly the Member State responsible [for an asylum claim]”[1] and provides for the transfer of an asylum seeker to that Member State. Usually, the responsible Member State will be the state through which the asylum seeker first entered the EU.
Gobbledygook! I guess the asylum seekers saw the word Dublin. Wow! Let’s go there!!!!
Yes, Barry a lot of bureaucratic bull none of which is actually in force..
I have friends from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and France so I get to feel the pulse of Europe wide opinion on this issue.
Few of these countries have been enforcing these directives, and if they do not do so soon the people will begin to vote for the wrong kind of parties who will quickly fill the political vacuum.
Well GO back where you all came from….
Is there a reason why the media refuse to point out that these people are allowed to appeal decisions again and again while legal teams reap the reward?
Thousands of people are living or have lived in DP centres. The number of children who have died in these centres is quite low for the period in question. There’s no evidence of neglect or foul play in any of those cases.
Ok, so how do the ‘let em all in brigade’ suggest we should be doing, to make it all sweet for DP’ers? Nice house by the sea, perhaps, new car, cozy job in Dail Eireann, maybe? We have IRISH families, with young kids, living in far worse conditions, in shabby hostels, with no cooking or washing facilities, and, no hope of a house in the next decade! The mugshots of the well fed, well dressed DP’ers we keep seeing, does’nt suggest they’re starving or going without in any way. All courtesy of Mr & Mrs Taxpayer, of course!
A few months ago we had the hordes scream in indignity at the revelation of a children’s burial ground in Tuam. Yet, by the logic expounded here, what was that number in the grand scheme of things?
Here we have another inhumane system where people are dying in institutions run in our name. And the response here? Sure, they’re only foreigners. Second class people.
Irish hypocrisy at it’s finest. Take a bow you fine people.
would you like to thank anyone for your do-gooder award before you rant and insult everyone that questions the immigration issue in this country as racist
There is no context to the figures.If we are to take the figures at face value and assuming that each of the 56000 only spent 6 months in DP given that the national death rate is 6.4 per 1000 and factoring out the over 65′s you should expect to see around 100 deaths.Even the break down amongst age groups seems low.Also are they seriously suggesting that one suicide out of 56000 people over a 14 year period is outside the norm ? Do the math and you have an over all better chance of surviving in a DP center than you do in the outside world.Considering that these people were probably already in bad health its amazing the figures aren’t higher.Publish the european figures per country for contrast.
I’m for ending Direct Provision but if people want to use stats use them in context.Don’t just throw the figure 64 out of 56000 over 14 years out there and just expect people to be shocked.How many arrived here unwell for a start ? Were any of the deaths due to incurable illness ? You dont need death certs to check this.Medical records would show what people were being treated for.
The death rate in DP is 0.11% over the last 14 years.There is the headline.
Immigration or refugee stories such tricky things in any country but good to see it brings out the dregs of society to comment on here. Most likely people who have zero experience or expertise in any of these issues
What was the point of that comment? Anyone? Anyone?
But we do have experience Ronan, we experience it every month when we get paid and discover how and where our taxes end up.
Why have they died, uh… I donno. Perhaps the Journal could indulge in a little, you know, journalism and tell us?
I assume that there must be coroners reports as to the cause of death, or would that sort of detail fail to suit the Journal’s agenda if it turns out that people fleeing across several contenents from third world countries, rampant with disease and high infant mortality, arrrive here with a much higher liklihood of an illness or congenital defect taking their life?
im again astounded at the level of ignorance and utter contempt directed at people in direct provision. Try the conditions they live in for a while and see how they work for you lot. These people no matter what the status of their application should not be living in such a restrictive and disabling way. The process needs to change, send those who do not qualify home and allow the others to start contributing to our society with a better quality of life than that of their native country and the conditions they endure in DP.
Cian I think you have hit the nail on the head there, the problem is that the VAST majority DO NOT QUALIFY but they elect to stay in DP lodging multiple appeals. Why do this if they have failed and DP is soooooo bad?
PS they must have been really fleeing hard from Africa because their feet mustn’t have touched the ground in whatever country in Europe they first landed in because it sure as hell wasn’t here. Why is this if DP is so bad.
Can we just start with Irish people who can make a positive contribution to society, yet are barred from doing so due to unemployment, economic deprivation etc? After that we can help the others.
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