Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 January 2017
102. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the arrangements in place for the provision of essential services at a refugee centre (details supplied) in County Roscommon; the details of the tender process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2713/17]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, a number of persons are to be temporarily accommodated in the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC) to be located in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, under the relocation strand of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). As the name suggests, an EROC is largely about reception and orientation for those who are to be subsequently resettled. The overwhelming majority of persons being relocated to Ireland are fleeing the war in Syria.
The services being provided will include education, the services of a General Practitioner, HSE medical screening, and access to the services of the Department of Social Protection. A core part of the job of the IRPP is coordination and ensuring appropriate service delivery. Staff of the IRPP hold weekly clinics in the EROC with clients and any service level issues become immediately apparent.
The relevant services will be provided locally or in some cases may be provided at the centre. The mode of service provision is determined on a case by case basis depending on the local situation and the individual circumstances of the asylum seekers. Every effort is made to mainstream services with local populations while not impacting on the delivery of local services. Thus children may attend local schools and adults will be provided with English language classes by the local ETB. Services can in some instances be provided directly to the children and adults although the preference is that they are provided in conjunction with local services as this helps significantly with integration. It should be noted that accommodating persons in EROCs for a period of time is considered to be good practice as it allows for a period of acclimatisation, de-stressing and on-site processing. It is also a process that is supported by the UNHCR as best practice.
By law all children resident in the State must attend school between the ages of 6 and 16. The children of those staying in the Ballaghaderreen EROC will be no different. IRPP officials are liaising with colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills to ensure all children of school-going age resident in the centre are either placed in an appropriate school in the general area or whether facilities in the EROC are the most appropriate mechanism to address educational needs. It is a matter for the Department of Education and Skills to determine whether or not additional resources (e.g. SNAs) will need to be put in place in local schools to meet requirements. If necessary, a bus service will be established should any of the school placements be outside walking distance. The availability of crèche/pre-school facilities is also subject to discussions with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
To ensure that the local service demands generated by the refugees and asylum seekers can be met, an EROC team composed of local service providers is being established. This model works extremely well in the current EROCs located in Clonea Strand and Monasterevin. Persons arriving under relocation will also have had the benefit of direct engagement with my officials while in Greece or Italy, including a vulnerability/needs assessment. Officials of the IRPP will continue to closely engage with those placed in the EROC and will work to ensure that any local service issues that may arise are promptly resolved.
The selection process for EROCs
In recognition that the vulnerable migrants arriving under the IRPP would need some form of emergency accommodation and service provision, an expression of interest process was launched in October 2015 to identify potential properties capable of meeting that requirement. In assessing the suitability of potential EROCs, consideration is given to a number of factors including:
- the accommodation capacity of the EROC
- its potential for on-site services
- the potential availability of school placements for children of a school going age in the general area
- the potential availability of primary care and hospitals within reasonable travelling distance
- the experience of the location in having asylum seekers previously
- availability of other local services including public transport and shopping
- potential for the centre managers to provide additional services to both residents and local population
- potential benefits to local commerce
Approximately 90 properties were offered in response to the call for expressions of interest. After a short-listing exercise based on suitability and state of repair, 14 properties emerged as having potential. The selection process was suspended in early 2016 because the numbers arriving under the EU relocation programme were lower than anticipated due to operational problems in Greece and Italy. When the numbers arriving increased in late 2016, the short list was re-examined. The property in Ballaghaderreen was identified as the only property on the short list that could be made operational as a suitable EROC within a time frame that would meet demand in early 2017. As there will be a need for further EROCs to receive further persons arriving under the Programme, a new procurement exercise is expected to commence in the coming weeks.
