Vol. 518 No. 2
33 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has to make regulations under section 2 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1999, providing that the planning Acts shall not apply to any proposed development to provide accommodation for asylum seekers in view of the Government announcement of 28 March 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10021/00]
As I have explained previously to the House, the number of asylum seekers entering the country has increased dramatically in recent years and especially since July of last year. The Directorate for Asylum Support Services, established in November 1999 under the aegis of my Department is responsible, inter alia, for meeting the accommodation needs of asylum seekers. Following advertisements for accommodation placed in the media it became clear that a sufficient supply of suitable privately owned accommodation was not available to meet the needs of asylum seekers and that other measures would need to be examined.
The Office of Public Works, acting on behalf of my Department, has identified the lands and properties detailed below as suitable for development under the asylum seeker accommodation programme: lands attached to the premises formerly known as Magee Barracks, Kildare, County Kildare; lands attached to the premises known as the Military Barracks, Tralee, County Kerry; and lands attached to the Department of Education premises at Athlone, County Westmeath.
On 29 March 2000, I made three orders under section 2(2) of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1993, which allows, by reason of emergency, for the provision of accommodation for use by asylum seekers on these properties.
On 10 April 2000 I made three further orders under section 2(2) of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1993 which allows, by reason of emergency, for the provision of accommodation for use by asylum seekers and the provision of certain ancillary services; at the premises situated at 88, 90 and 92 Pembroke Road, Dublin 4 and known as "88 Pembroke Road"; (5) at the Parnell West Hotel, 38/39 Parnell Square, Dublin 1; and at the Viking Lodge Hotel, 34/36 Francis Street, Dublin 8.
The orders provide that the provisions of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963-1999, or the provisions of Part XIII of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Regulations, 1994, shall not apply to these developments.
34 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the proposed establishment of a new agency to deal with the reception of asylum seekers and the integration of refugees; its terms of reference; if it will be independent of the Department; if it will have its own budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11183/00]
On 28 March 2000 the Government agreed with my recommendations for a statutory agency, under the aegis of my Department, to be called the reception and integration agency. Pending the enactment of legislation, the agency will operate on a non-statutory basis.
This decision follows an earlier decision of the Government that the recommendations in the report of the interdepartmental working group on the integration of refugees in Ireland should form the framework for integration policy and be implemented. The establishment of a single organisational structure – within the overall framework of structures for asylum and immigration – for co-ordinating and implementing integration policy is one of the key recommendations of the working group. The reception and integration agency will be the vehicle for implementing this recommendation and its establishment will facilitate a cohesive, co-ordinated approach to both the reception of asylum seekers and integration of refugees. The agency will have responsibility for planning and co-ordinating the provision of services for both asylum seekers and refugees; co-ordinating and implementing integration policy for all refugees and persons who, though not refugees, are granted leave to remain; and responding to conflict crises which result in relatively large numbers of refugees arriving in Ireland within a short period of time, for example, the Kosovar nationals who were invited here by the Government this time last year.
I intend to bring legislative proposals to Government to put the reception and integration agency on a statutory basis at the earliest possible date. As the Government has not yet had the opportunity to consider proposals, any definitive comment by me at this stage in relation to delegation of authority or budgetary control would be pre-emptive. However, I can say that in line with the Government's strategic management initiative and the approach adopted in relation to other agencies in the justice area, I will be recommending that the reception and integration agency will have operational independence in its day to day activities, have its own board and its own budget.
