Asylum seekers may be allowed to participate in certain types of work

Asylum seekers may be allowed to participate in certain areas of the workforce, the Government has confirmed.

The Cabinet has agreed to lift the ban on the right of those in direct provision to work, following a ruling from the Supreme Court in May.

The proposals from the Department of Justice will only be applicable to those who spend more than nine months in the direct provision system without having their case decided on.

They will be given the right to work, become self-employed or access training, but the ban will not be lifted immediately.

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The department is conducting a review to the areas of the workforce asylum seekers will be allowed to participate in.

A Government spokesman denied this was a continuation of the discrimination faced by those in direct provision.

He failed to state when the review would be complete and therefore when the ban would be lifted.

Allowance of €21.50

The direct provision system was established in April 2000 and sees asylum seekers accommodated in privately-operated centres.

Meals are provided and residents are entitled to a weekly allowance of €21.60. More than 4,400 people were living in direct provision at the end of March, some 564 of them for more than five years.

Last May, a Burmese man who had spent eight years in direct provision before getting refugee status unanimously won his appeal over laws preventing him working here before his status was decided.

The seven-judge court unanimously agreed the absolute ban was “in principle” unconstitutional but has adjourned making any formal orders for six months to allow the legislature consider how to address the situation.

The Government has to present its proposed changes to the Supreme Court this month, with legislation giving effect to the change expected to follow.

A spokesman for the Government said it was satisfied with the robustness of its position and insisted it was line with a European directive.