Beyond McMahon – the future of asylum reception in Ireland: Conference summary

Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR); Nasc, Irish Immigrant Support Centre

Beyond McMahon – the future of asylum reception in Ireland: Conference summary

Files

Nasc-CCJHR Beyond McMahon Conference Summary June 2018.pdf(1.64 MB)

Published version

Date

2018-04-25

Authors

Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR)

Nasc, Irish Immigrant Support Centre

Publisher

Centre for Criminal Justice & Human Rights (CCJHR), School of Law, University College Cork

Abstract

The conference ‘Beyond McMahon – the Future of Asylum Reception in Ireland’ took place on Wednesday 25th April 2018 in the Western Gateway Building in University College Cork (UCC). Organised jointly by Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Support Centre, and UCC’s Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR), the conference was generously funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC). The conference aimed to assess developments in the Irish asylum reception system (‘direct provision’) since the establishment of a Working Group on the Protection Process and Direct Provision, and its report,the ‘McMahon Report’(2015). Using the Report and its recommendations as a starting point, this conference aimed to examine the future of, and possible alternatives to, direct provision in Ireland. To this end, the conference gathered experts from other European jurisdictions and individuals with experience of Ireland’s current reception system, including – importantly – input from asylum seekers. Fiona Finn, CEO of Nasc, introduced the conference’s goal succinctly: it aimed to catalyse a change in the current Irish reception system. This summary hopes to record some of the main ideas and concerns related by speakers and audience members at the conference, so that they may be used for future reference.

Keywords

Asylum reception , Ireland , Direct provision (DP)

Citation

Centre for Criminal Justice & Human Rights, CCJHR, UCC (2013) Beyond McMahon – the future of asylum reception in Ireland: Conference summary, Nasc, Irish Immigrant Support Centre and Centre for Criminal Justice & Human Rights, CCJHR, University College Cork, Cork, 25 April.