Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 February 2022
123. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons being housed in direct provision to date; the number of these in own-door accommodation; the progress made to date in fulfilling the commitments in the programme for Government in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4644/22]
View answerI am seeking an update on accommodation for people in direct provision. Significant commitments were made in that regard. I know some actions have been taken. I ask the Minister to update me on own-door accommodation, for example.
Are we progressing in moving people through the system faster? I know that is not the Minister's direct responsibility but he must be talking to the Minister of Justice and asking whether we can speed the process up and have fewer people in direct provision once their cases have been decided.
As of 30 January, there were 8,582 people accommodated in the direct provision system as a whole. This includes 5,828 persons in international protection accommodation services, IPAS, centres, 1,065 in emergency accommodation centres, 396 in the national reception centre in Balseskin, 323 in quarantine facilities and 970 in pre-reception facilities. Within direct provision centres and the national reception centre, 74% of residents have access to independent living facilities. Residents can cook and shop for themselves, families have access to private living spaces and social spaces, and 31% have access to own-door unit settings, which means they live in self-contained units such as apartments with private kitchens and living spaces.
Recently, my Department published a request for tender seeking accommodation for the transitional period up to 2024. The accommodation being sought includes own-door accommodation for families in the international protection process.
The White Paper on Ending Direct Provision has established a blueprint for a new system of supporting and accommodating people seeking international protection in Ireland, centred on a not-for-profit approach and grounded in the principles of human rights, respect for diversity and respect for privacy and family life. This system will come into operation fully by the end of December 2024. We have set up a White Paper transition team within my Department. It drives implementation of the new model. We have a programme board that brings in expertise from other Departments as well as the private sector. We also have an external advisory committee comprising Dr. Catherine Day, Dr. Lorcan Sirr and Dr. David Donoghue. I will actually be meeting them today after these questions.
We have been working closely with a number of other Departments and agencies, in particular the Housing Agency in terms of the provision of new accommodation. Planning is well advanced for the purchasing of properties, developing a system of income support for international protection applicants and integration support. The planning and design of capital projects will commence this year.
Would I be right in thinking that there has been a rapid increase in the number of people in direct provision and, therefore, the number of people seeking asylum? Will the Minister indicate how many people have been in the system for more than four years? It seems that we are left with a problem that should largely have been resolved by people being processed through the system quickly and definitive decisions being made on their cases.
Will the Minister indicate what the alternative model is and how he will get it up and running within two years? From my experience of how slowly matters move, that would be a fair achievement.
That is a lot to get through in one minute. The Deputy is correct, in that there has been a significant increase in the number of people coming to Ireland seeking international protection, particularly since the October-November period. That increase is reflected in the figures that I set out.
I will ask my Department to send the Deputy the specific figure for how many people have been in the system for more than four years. As he knows, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, has announced a scheme for regularisation, which is open to people who have been in the international protection process for a number of years. We reckon that approximately 2,800 of them will be able to apply.
Would they be in direct provision?
Yes. The Minister's scheme is primarily for people who are undocumented but it has a secondary stream for people who have been in direct provision for a long time. They will be able to apply for regularisation. Obviously, 2,800 is approximately a quarter of 8,500 or thereabouts, but the scheme will address the needs of a significant number of people who, as the Deputy identified, have been in the system for a long time.
I thank the Minister for that information. There is also a community scheme for refugees whereby communities around the country host refugees. It is a progressive way forward. Has there been much uptake of the scheme by communities? Are many communities coming forward with offers to take refugees? If that could be done, it would not only provide accommodation, but also a loving, open and welcoming community.
I thank the Deputy for highlighting the importance of the community sponsorship scheme. To clarify, it is available to people who have already been identified as refugees under the Irish refugee protection programme, not people coming in through direct provision. Over the past seven months, the scheme has been particularly important to Ireland's rapid response to the situation in Afghanistan. We have issued 550 visas to people fleeing Afghanistan who were at real risk of losing their lives. Many of them are in emergency reception and orientation centres, EROCs, across the country, but they will then move into the community. Many of them are being supported by community sponsorship groups. Deputies may know of groups that are interested in doing something like this. It is definitely a commitment, but a valuable one in terms of the provision of accommodation and the support from and link with local communities. I have met a number of Afghan refugees who are now integrating into our society and are incredibly grateful for the opportunity they have been given.
