Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Nov 2023

Vol. 1046 No. 6

Special Report by the Ombudsman for Children on Direct Provision: Motion

Deputy Thomas Pringle

I move:

That Dáil Éireann shall take note of the Special Report by the Ombudsman for Children entitled "Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision", copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 16th October, 2023.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to lead out on this important debate, and the Business Committee for taking a positive approach and allowing it onto the agenda, which is timely and important. The Ombudsman for Children is on his way to the House to watch the debate from the Gallery but we were caught somewhat on the hop by the fact the business of the House moved more quickly than we had expected, which is, I suppose, now usual for a Thursday and is something we should anticipate.

I remind the House that a special report is made when the ombudsman believes that measures taken in response to recommendations made as a result of an investigation are not satisfactory. In this case, the report was made following an investigation into the safety and welfare of children in State-provided accommodation, after which three specific recommendations were made to the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS. Understanding the context of this report and noting the unsatisfactory response to the initial investigation is very important if we are to accept the failures of the State and tackle this very important issue. The Ombudsman for Children's office determined more than two years ago that the failure of IPAS and Tusla was having an adverse effect on children residing in direct provision, emergency reception and orientation centres and emergency accommodation centres.

The war in Ukraine that occurred since the report was written has created a crisis-driven response that has severely impacted on the implementation of the White Paper on the end of direct provision and the establishment of a new international protection support service. This has led to further unprecedented challenges. It has also exacerbated potential adverse effects on the rights and welfare of children residing in State provided accommodation. In April 2021, in response to the report, IPAS committed to ending the use of non-designated commercial hotels and developing a contingency plan to respond to capacity pressures. Despite this, hotels still constitute a primary form of accommodation under temporary protection in Ireland. Not only that, a further 150 emergency accommodation centres have been opened since 2022, most of which are hotels. It is clear the Government will not meet its phase 1 or phase 2 accommodation targets by the end of next year and that appropriate housing is out of reach for families seeking international protection. Despite their urgent need for appropriate accommodation and the many difficulties they already face, such as language barriers, integration into new communities and resistance to their presence, an update to the advisory group report in July stated that unless the right kind medium-term accommodation is secured, there is a risk of perpetuating direct provision instead of ending it. That is worrying.

IPAS also committed, in April 2021, to putting in place a quality assurance mechanism that is adequately resourced to monitor complaints and child protection and welfare concerns and to ensure compliance with the Children First Act 2015. At the time, HIQA's remit was extended to the independent monitoring of designated accommodation centres, but the regulations governing this arrangement are not yet in place and will only be in effect for four years. Furthermore, HIQA was not granted powers to inspect emergency accommodation. We know there are considerable issues with such accommodation. A child is a child whether in temporary or permanent accommodation. Children deserve to be treated equally. Those in emergency accommodation are particularly vulnerable, particularly in view of the precariousness of their situation and the fact that many are adjusting to a completely new country and often to a new culture as well. This vulnerability needs to taken into consideration in the planning and provision of accommodation for children in the international protection system.

The reception directive and regulations recognise minors as inherently vulnerable and state the Minister has an obligation to assess whether an applicant is an applicant with special reception needs and if so, the nature of the reception needs, within 30 days. Despite this, as of May this year, only 10% of children seeking international protection have received a vulnerability assessment, with 44% of those assessed requiring a social work referral. This is absolutely shocking and demonstrates the failure of the State as regards children seeking international protection.

The special report was written because the Ombudsman for Children was not satisfied that the IPAS commitment to cease using commercial hotels would be met in the short or medium term, that a robust quality assurance mechanism is or will be put in place for the majority of children seeking international protection or that IPAS has sufficient regard for the vulnerability of children in the international protection process in the planning and provision of their accommodation. All children are vulnerable, and their formative years are a vital time in their development. This is especially true of children who live in temporary accommodation. Their first experiences of this country will shape who they are and who they become. We are failing them by not allowing them a safe and happy life in which they have room to grow and develop. It is incredibly worrying that the State treats children this way and is putting their future at risk. If we continue to neglect children the way we have done, it will create issues in the future.

We can do better and we have to. The State should put permanent solutions in place rather than facilitate the profiteering of large hotel owners who see vulnerable people as a way to make money rather than as human beings in desperate need of assistance. The never-ending state of emergency in which the Government constantly operates must end. The Minister must start focusing on permanent solutions. We should have State-run and managed accommodation, completely open to inspection by HIQA to ensure the safety of children who come to Ireland. We are a well-off country with plenty of resources to share. There are no excuses for the way the Government has mishandled the manner the country is run, with public finances it refuses to spend on sensible, permanent accommodation for everyone. The Government has the ability to provide for everyone who is here and more; yet refuses to acknowledge it, while continuing to allow the rich to get richer.

Understanding Life in Ireland 2023 was published this summer. It showed Ireland is progressing in all areas except wealth-equality and housing. Why do significant gaps in wealth equality persist as the country grows wealthier? The Government aids the well-off with tax breaks, while the most vulnerable in our society are left to suffer and fight for the limited scraps left over by the wealthy. Deep-rooted inequality in areas such as housing and wealth distribution will drive instability in our society. It already has. Look around this Chamber, look at last week and look at social media. The fight for limited resources is destroying our country and turning us against one another. It does not have to be this way. We have enough to provide for everyone. We cannot begin to turn on or abandon the most vulnerable. This report shows that is exactly what we are doing right now. We are failing badly.

I would appreciate it if the Minister responded on the following points. The White Paper stated that the focus for 2022 would be on advancing new build projects and the purchase of properties and that the focus for 2023 would be on advancing capital projects to build new reception and integration centres that will accommodate applicants during phase 1, which would be fully operational by 2024. What progress has been made on the building of the six phase 1 reception and integration centres and what progress has been made in the purchase of new properties? How many phase 1 centres and phase 2 properties will be operational on 1 January 2024 and how many people will be accommodated in them? How does the Minister expect to catch up on capital projects and purchases at this stage?

HIQA has a limited remit to inspect only 50 permanent designated centres. Following inspections of just three of these, numerous issues and breaches were found. It is worrying to think about what breaches might be found in the 175 emergency sites that have been used by the Department since 2022 and which HIQA is not tasked with inspecting. Tusla's audit also showed a high rate of non-compliance with respect to child safeguarding in permanent centres. How can the Minister ensure that, going forward, these breaches will be addressed and that children in permanent centres and emergency sites will be safe? It is shocking that only 10% of children seeking international protection have received a statutory vulnerability assessment. This is not good enough. How will the Minister ensure that all the children who are entitled to an assessment receive one and that these vulnerabilities are accounted for in providing their accommodation?

I urge the Minister to take into consideration the findings of this report and to act on them. I urge him not to treat it like he did the initial report, which was discussed, but subsequently ignored. Children deserve a life of dignity. They have the potential to contribute enormously to our communities and society, but they must be given a chance to do so. The Minister is well-intentioned, but I wonder whether he has the support of the entire Government. This requires a whole-of-government approach. The Minister for children alone cannot solve the issue. The Minister for housing, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach all have a role to play and a responsibility to ensure this works and happens. This affects the lives of children who will live here permanently and contribute well to our society. In the main, children of asylum seekers and children who come as immigrants will focus on education, getting good jobs and continuing their lives. That is vital for Ireland as a whole and for our society. They need to be looked after properly.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan)

Has the Minister already spoken?

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Roderic O'Gorman)

No.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan)

The Minister has 15 minutes.

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I thank the Ombudsman for Children for the special report published in October, and I thank Deputy Pringle for sponsoring the discussion this evening and, in so doing, bringing rightful attention to this important issue, which encompasses the matters covered by the report and broader questions as to how Ireland cares for those in the international protection system, children and adults alike.

I have remained committed to providing appropriate reception conditions to all international protection applicants in Ireland during what we all recognise is an unprecedented and emergency situation. I also acknowledge the broader work the Ombudsman for Children's Office has been doing in accepting complaints from or on behalf of children who live in international protection accommodation since April 2017. The staff of the office have made regular visits to children and families who live in international protection accommodation.

The Reception and Integration Agency, which is now known as the International Protection Accommodation Service, engaged with the Ombudsman for Children as part of the latter's 2018-20 own-volition investigation. That engagement took place in February 2018 in conjunction with residents in international protection accommodation. This investigation highlighted a number of concerns about the monitoring and oversight of accommodation centres' obligations under Children First.

The OCO's investigation report made a number of findings and recommendations. In April 2021, the OCO published a statement of its investigation, which determined that its investigation had highlighted systemic deficiencies in inspections, the quality of accommodation, access to an independent internal complaints procedure, and IPAS and Tusla's duties regarding the protection and welfare of children. An action plan to address these recommendations was developed, although completion of some of them was significantly delayed, first by the impact of Covid restrictions and, most particularly, as a result of the sudden increase in international protection applicants arriving from early 2022 onwards.

Since the report of 2021, the Government has put in place a number of measures to address concerns, including the monitoring of centres for adherence to national standards, resident clinics, the vulnerability assessment pilot programme, publication of a revised IPAS child safeguarding statement and child protection briefings to managers and staff at IPAS centres. More recently, my Department has, in conjunction with the ESF and with EU funding, co-funded family support practitioners for families living in IPAS accommodation to support the pathway for integrated community-based child and family services.

The special report, published on 19 October 2023, made three recommendations regarding international protection accommodation, focusing on the use of commercial hotels, quality assurance and vulnerability of children. Regarding recommendation No. 1, which called for IPAS to cease the use of commercial hotels and plan for accommodation centre capacity, I acknowledge that the number of people seeking international protection currently resident in emergency accommodation centres remains high. My Department is working hard to procure new accommodation and transition current residents from emergency accommodation centres to more permanent accommodation within the portfolio. This year, we have added almost 10,000 spaces for international protection applicants. Many of these have been emergency spaces, but there have been new requests for tenders for accommodation that meet the national standards. Currently, there are more than 25,000 persons in IPAS accommodation. Since the beginning of 2023, over 10,000 people have arrived seeking international protection, the vast majority of whom have been accommodated by IPAS via my Department. Due to the significant increase in people requiring accommodation, there has to be a requirement for a blended approach of accommodation options, including commercial and private providers. This is not what my Department or I would like, but it is an absolute necessity if we are to provide accommodation for those arriving in Ireland. These options are required to provide a high standard of reception conditions, including the provision of on-site supports that adhere to a professional and human-centred approach and are in line with the national standards.

The commitments made in A White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Protection Support Service are still a key priority for my Department. I will speak more about those commitments when I conclude.

Regarding recommendation No. 2 of the OCO's report, which was to put in place a robust quality assurance mechanism, including an independent inspectorate, my Department has continued a programme of improvements initiated by the McMahon working group. The national standards were adopted by the Government and published in 2019 and came into effect at the beginning of 2021. The Government agreed that HIQA should monitor the centres for adherence to the standards. This agreement is time limited to the end of 2024, although it may be extended by agreement.

The national standards address a range of issues relating to accommodation, food and catering, individual, community and family life, health and well-being, governance, and meeting the special reception needs of applicants seeking international protection. In practical terms, compliance can only be adequately measured through on-site assessment. HIQA's role will apply to all "permanent" centres contracted by IPAS, as emergency centres are subject to separate contractual arrangements. IPAS accommodation centres are already subject to regular unannounced inspections by officials in my Department and by an independent inspectorate company. In advance of the introduction of independent monitoring, IPAS has taken steps to support adherence to the national standards through its contract arrangements with accommodation centres. All properties selected under IPAS’s most recent tender process will be required to implement the national standards.

The request for tenders for the inspection of accommodation provided by this Department was published on eTenders in October, with a closing date of 31 October. Submissions are currently being evaluated and it is hoped that an inspection service will be in place in quarter 1 of 2024. To date, HIQA has completed pilot inspections of the three State-owned IPAS centres to better inform the formal inspection process.

Recommendation No. 3 is on IPAS having regard to the vulnerability of children within the international protection process in the planning and provision of their accommodation needs. Since 1 February 2021, the IPAS resident welfare team has made a determination regarding vulnerability in the case of more than 4,000 persons. More than 2,600 persons were deemed vulnerable, of whom over 800 were minors. While all children are deemed vulnerable by default, the pilot programme helps IPAS to identify children and young people with additional vulnerabilities earlier in the process and address their accommodation and reception needs insofar as possible.

Ongoing demands on the service due to significantly increased numbers have resulted in wait times for assessments being affected. Given the ongoing challenges faced by IPAS with sourcing accommodation, IPAS works with residents through the vulnerability assessment programme and clinics to signpost people to relevant information and services that may be helpful to them. In cases where significant vulnerabilities or complex needs are identified, IPAS endeavours to identify the most suitable accommodation within the overall constraints of the accommodation available. Where possible, it will improve the alignment between accommodation and vulnerabilities where accommodation that is more appropriate becomes available.

When new IPAS centres open, IPAS notifies the centre managers that it is mandatory that all staff complete the Children First e-learning module. IPAS ensures that centre managers are categorised as designated liaison persons under Children First and notifies them that they are required to make mandatory reports to Tusla of concerns, above the defined threshold, relating to children resident in their respective centres. IPAS also monitors the centres’ adherence to requirements of Children First. IPAS continues to engage with Tusla in respect of its report, "Child Safeguarding Statement Sector Compliance Review: International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS)", which was developed by the child safeguarding statement compliance unit, CSSU, in August 2023. Following significant engagement by the CSSU, all statements reviewed were deemed compliant. The report only considered statements from non-emergency settings.

IPAS will continue to engage with Tusla in respect of the report’s findings and recommendations and to promote and improve child safeguarding practices in all accommodation settings. IPAS continues a programme of child protection briefings to management and staff in all IPAS accommodation centres. The main focus of these briefings is on reporting child welfare and protection concerns to Tusla and An Garda Síochána. IPAS engages with centre managers on all child safeguarding procedures. A revised IPAS child safeguarding statement was deemed compliant by the Tusla's CSSU and was published on the IPAS website in August 2023.

The resident welfare team has developed a number of resources for children living in direct provision centres, including a parenting support booklet, a children’s cybersafety guidance booklet, a children’s complaints procedure, a children’s feedback form and a dedicated mailbox for children and young people to contact IPAS: [e-mail]. The resident welfare team has seconded education welfare officers from Tusla's education support service. They work closely with centre management to assist with school places and transport for children living in IPAS accommodation centres.

Supports for children living in IPAS accommodation centres are provided by IPAS and a range of Departments and Government agencies that work together to provide services for people living in IPAS accommodation centres. Following a decision by the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, the REALT programme, which was initially introduced to support Ukrainian children who had fled to this country and integrate them into local schools, has been extended to children in international accommodation as well. I welcome this equality of treatment between children in the IP programme and children who have fled here from Ukraine.

I thank the Ombudsman for Children and his office for their ongoing dedication to engaging with and supporting so many vulnerable children around the country. My officials are committed to responding to the concerns raised in what is an extremely challenging context while doing our utmost to provide safety and shelter to those who seek it in Ireland.

That context is huge. It is challenging and is of a scale and magnitude many times beyond that which my Department had been dealing with prior to or within the first year I came into office and when the White Paper was originally published. I am the first to recognise that there are major challenges but we have the ability to meet them. I agree with Deputy Pringle on having a focus on greater amounts of State-owned accommodation being the way to go forward in order that we are not so reliant on the private sector. We have to recognise that we are going to see greater levels of migration to this country, particularly those people seeking international protection. While 15,000 people last year is a lot, it is actually a very small number compared with the numbers many other EU member states absorb. We need to scale up accommodation options and the responses. The scale of that will be far greater than what we anticipated when the White Paper was drafted. At that time, we were dealing with somewhere between 3,500 and 4,500 people arriving here every year. The necessity to scale up is something that will have to be done across Government. My Department will continue to play its role to plan for the future, while also meeting the needs of everybody in international accommodation now, and in particular of children.

Deputy Kathleen Funchion

I commend Dr. Niall Muldoon and his team and welcome him here this evening to the Public Gallery. This is a really important report which, unfortunately, paints a very depressing childhood for the 5,000-plus children living in direct provision, hotels and emergency reception centres in Ireland right now. I share the concerns that are raised in this report. From our own constituency work, we know about some of the issues and difficulties. The issues are so serious that it is good to have the opportunity to discuss them here. I want to thank Deputy Pringle for using his time to sponsor the report.

The children's committee also published a report this week on the challenge being presented by the recent increase in the number of people coming to Ireland seeking protection. The report clearly shows, and the State accepts, that there are serious shortcomings in the delivery of essential services for children and in the operation of safeguarding and welfare checks for children seeking international protection. We really need to stop and think about that for a second, because we are talking about children here. We know that we are failing them. We already have such a poor history of how we have treated children and yet, we seem to be just repeating that depressing and disgraceful history.

Both IPAS and Tusla accepted the recommendations of the ombudsman’s report in 2021 and despite the Government committing to end direct provision in a White Paper of the same year, there continues to be a growing number of international protection children in temporary accommodation that is inadequate to provide the necessary safeguarding and welfare for them.

The report condemns the use of commercial hotels, in particular, for housing both international protection applicants and people from Ukraine availing of temporary protection. They are widely considered unsuitable for children due to the lack of safeguarding available. At present, however, more than half of all children who are international protection applicants are living in commercial hotels. There also are no regulations in place for the inspection of accommodation for international protection applicants. HIQA has quite a limited role in this regard. Furthermore, Tusla reports that there are concerns about there being no requirement to demonstrate that their child safeguarding statements are being upheld by providers of emergency accommodation. Effectively, emergency accommodations catering to children are, in and of themselves, not suitable, are subject to limited independent inspections and are self-policing in their provision of child safeguarding. It is incredible to think that we are allowing a situation like this to develop in 2023.

On top of this, the report also highlights the limited ability of IPAS to carry out the required assessment of accommodation for children in line with the reception directive and regulation. Recent media reports highlighted that only 574 assessments were undertaken in 2021 and 600 up to September 2022. The Department then, in its wisdom, decided centres would provide the assessments in the form of a questionnaire to international protection applicants and that completing these questionnaires was voluntary. The Irish Refugee Council roundly criticised this process for the lack of information provided to international protection applicants and for the lack of involvement of social care professionals.

A total of 464 vulnerability assessments were carried out through to May of this year, which covers one in ten child international protection applicants, with 50% subsequently being referred to social workers. From these figures, there can be no doubt but that a large number of children in the international protection system are not getting the care they need and are entitled to. We simply cannot allow this situation to continue.

The general planning failure springs from the Government White Paper that proposed the abolition of direct provision, a goal it is now reviewing with the realisation that it cannot be delivered right now. The White Paper failed to accurately anticipate the demand for international protection and while I appreciate the war in Ukraine has presented significant challenges, we are not meeting our moral and legal obligations in relation to the protection of children. We are now nearly two years into that situation. We cannot keep saying that it is an emergency or an unexpected situation. At this point we have to have forward planning.

Children are bearing the brunt of the Government's failures. The housing support organisation,Threshold, reports that children in emergency accommodation suffer from poor metal health, struggle to build and maintain relationships with peers, have poorer physical health, and increased difficulty in education. Clearly these arrangements have a detrimental effect on children already forced to travel thousands of miles in uncertainty and fear.

The provision of services for children in direct provision should not be considered an emergency or crisis, nor should it be seen as a burden. Compared to the vast majority of countries in the world, we are a wealthy country and should play our part, remembering a time when we ourselves were grateful for the shelter provided to those who went before us and who fled famine and persecution at home. As a society we must ask ourselves how seriously we consider the needs of vulnerable children. It is not good enough to simply house children in inadequate settings and pretend that they are being provided for. We must find a better way to provide resources in order that these children can obtain an education, build up social connections and enjoy a happy childhood which is the entitlement of every child on this island.

Under the current system implemented by the Government, through the failure to adequately plan and deal with the issue, one would have to ask whether, in 30 or 40 years’ time, the treatment of those, especially children, in direct provision and emergency accommodation will be another stain on the country’s treatment of vulnerable people. Before I conclude, I want to mention two situations in the context of vulnerable children. First, I wish to mention all the children in Palestine who are being slaughtered at present. The situation there for children is grave. We are going to see a huge amount of displacement in the region. It is important that we remember them and that we highlight the situation at every opportunity.

Second, representatives from the Ombudsman for Children’s Office gave a presentation in the audiovisual room this week on children's mental health. This is also a very important issue. They highlighted some very serious concerns but also gave some really good suggestions on how we can tackle many of these issues. I said it at the briefing and I will say it again, we are extremely lucky to have someone of the calibre of Dr. Niall Muldoon and his team advocating for children. We need to listen to what they are saying. While I am sure they appreciate the words spoken in here, I am sure what they really want to see is action. It is about time we do that for our children. It is Thursday evening. I have said it here many times, the topics that affect women and children are always pushed to the end of the agenda. We have seen it consistently and we see it again this week.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

I too want to thank Deputy Pringle for using his time this evening. I also thank the ombudsman and his team. Since becoming involved in politics, I have seen, over the past few years, several robust reports coming from the ombudsman that really show the gaps children are falling into in Ireland. Unfortunately, when the reports come out with those strong recommendations, I do not see a sense of urgency in the Government to implement those recommendations. That is a lost opportunity by the Government. I hope in this instance, the Government actually takes on board the recommendations and suggestions put forward in this report. We see increased numbers of refugees coming to Ireland to access protection from places like Ukraine along with traditional countries of origin.

Against the backdrop of the horror we are seeing inflicted on children in a war zone like Palestine or in the famine in Yemen, it is beholden on us to consider what we deem to be acceptable treatment of children who have fled war and persecution when they come to Ireland. This is a very important thing we need to keep at the front of our minds all of the time, namely, these are children. Can we imagine how scary it is to have to leave your home, your community and your town, to see what those children have seen and leave it behind and have to make their way to what they hope is safety? Then, when they get here, they are put into a system that is not putting their needs first and is not giving them the protection and safety they require.

Accessing refugee status is an incredibly hard limbo in which to dwell as an adult and it is reasonable to assume it is doubly so for children, who are likely not as emotionally resilient as adults and who will carry the imprint of their childhood with them throughout their lives. Many children will come here with a family member but there are also many who come here alone, and they will have even less capacity to advocate for themselves. In that situation, the State has a duty of care to them.

Child refugees, especially those who are unaccompanied, are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable and it is our responsibility, as a State and as a country which claims to value the fair and equitable treatment of all, to provide for these children's needs. Being a child refugee in Ireland should mean having somewhere safe, warm and secure to stay. It should mean having access to decent food and clean living quarters and having a foundation here that is strong enough to build a full and dignified life. Unfortunately, this report has shown us something we have known for a long time, which is that direct provision is not a space that provides safe living conditions, good food and security, which are often all too absent.

Much has been written about this report and the conditions in which children are expected to live within our international protection system, particularly in those emergency accommodation centres. Jack Power of The Irish Times has done important work highlighting this issue, and I pay tribute to him for the work he has done. The report makes for hard reading. Several points were highlighted and, in particular, the investigation found no evidence that all direct provision centres were complying with Children First, which is key child protection legislation. Even simple things like the vetting and training of staff members were not in place, which are very concerning findings of the report. The reality is the Government is not protecting children to the full extent that is required from potential abuse within the system, especially when basic levels of child protection practice not being met.

I want to specifically talk about the three recommendations the ombudsman put forward. The first was to cease the use of commercial hotels and it referred to the accommodation capacity pressures. The second was to put in robust quality assurance mechanisms and the third concerned the vulnerability of children. I do not believe they are big asks and they should be relatively simple to resolve. I would start first with the third recommendation that the vulnerability of children within the system be recognised. In the Minister's response, he talked about assessing the vulnerabilities and there is a focus on those with additional vulnerabilities and needs. Every single child under the age of 18 who comes here is vulnerable and that is the point at which the Minister's policy should be starting. Any child coming into this country needs to get the highest level of protection. If what we are seeing in the case of emergency centres is correct, that is not happening and the inspection of those centres is not providing that security. Every child who comes into this country should go into a State-run centre. I understand there are a lot of pressures on the Department and on the provision of accommodation, and everyone knows how challenging it is. However, we have to start with the safety of children and the protection of those children. If there are any risks whatsoever associated with having them in emergency centres, where inspections are not happening, where staff may not be trained and where they cannot be protected to the fullest, then they need to be prioritised for the centres where that is possible. That would mean no longer using commercial hotels or emergency centres.

That would also address the other recommendation, which is essentially that there is a robust inspection mechanism. The inspections of the State through HIQA are more robust than the emergency ones. If someone who is aged under 18 comes into the system, will the Minister consider that, just by default, they are deemed to be the most vulnerable of international asylum seekers and would be put into appropriate State-run accommodation where their needs can be met and where they can be safely provided for?

As a State, we are coming into a very difficult period in dealing with people who are seeking refuge in our country. In fact, I think we are already there. We are at a crossroads as to what kind of country we are and what kind of country we want to be. We also need to reflect on where we have come from as a country and how we have often gone to other countries, not fleeing war but as economic migrants seeking better for ourselves and our families. We need to have a sense of purpose about where we want to go and what we want to do. Central to that must be how we deal with children coming to the country, particularly those who are coming on their own. As I said, it must be the scariest thing for a child to have to do.

I ask the Minister to take that seriously. I also ask that he work closely with the ombudsman and his office to see what can be done if any significant policy changes are coming down the road, and that means what can be done in the short, medium and long term. We need to ensure that when we look back in 30 or 40 years, as Deputy Funchion said, we know as a country that we did what was best for those people coming to the country, because what is best for them will also, fundamentally, be best for us. If we manage to get this integration done properly and to look after the people who are vulnerable, no matter where they come from, as well as the vulnerable people within our society now, as Deputy Pringle said, that is what will be best for our country. It will lead to a much more cohesive country where our communities are strong and where they still look after each other.

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan

I thank Deputy Pringle for his work in this regard. I welcome Dr. Muldoon and his team to the Visitors Gallery. I first came across Dr. Muldoon in 2020, when I was on the petitions committee and we were discussing the White Paper on ending direct provision. The context was very different back then compared with where we are today. It is important we understand that context and appreciate the difficulties the Minister and his Department have to deal with in terms of the sheer volume and number of people, children in particular, who are coming here looking for shelter and support.

I want to raise a couple of points. This is the first time the Ombudsman for Children has submitted a special report to the Oireachtas. That itself is quite striking and underlines the severity of the issue we are dealing with and how urgent it is. From knowing him personally, I know he is doing his best and that he will work to try to address many of the issues, but that is very telling about the situation we are in.

I will pick out a couple of quotes from the report. The ombudsman stated that, since 2020 and 2021, progress has either stalled or regressed in terms of what we are providing for these children.

Again, that is quite striking. Another comment made by the Ombudsman for Children in his report concerned how we treat children coming to this country will be a defining issue of our generation. Indeed it is what Deputy Funchion more or less said, namely, that it involves the history and track record we have in this country, particularly how we treat our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. It is time we really stepped up to the plate.

I wish to raise an issue with the Minister because it is topical at home. I will not identify the direct provision centre but I will underline the issues with which we are dealing and the threats these people face even when they are here and have received support. I am aware of three families in Cork that received letters last Friday telling them that they will be moved to Westmeath by the following Wednesday. I know every Deputy in this Chamber has dealt with different people over the years and so many different situations but these are families with children. One parent is training to be a nurse in UCC. What does it mean for her? A child in one of the other families has special needs and is getting great support in the local school. If you are upping sticks and moving halfway up the country, trying to locate a school place might be challenging in itself. I am not too familiar with the schools in Westmeath. For a child who is getting very good support, is doing well in school and is really improving, to be taken out of that environment into a new climate is quite difficult, particularly in a five-day turnaround. This is indicative of the way things are at the moment - very ad hoc. That is just one isolated incident. I do not think many of these decisions are in the best interests of the children or families. I would appreciate if the Minister could talk to me about that situation after the debate.

I sympathise with the Minister. Things are difficult. There are tens of thousands of people clamouring for accommodation. It is a difficult situation but the situation and standards that were not up to scratch in 2021 are still not up to standard in 2023. That is the bottom line.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Roderic O'Gorman)

I thank all the Deputies for their considered input into this discussion. I know all the Deputies who have spoken tonight have engaged with me on individual issues relating to international protection nationally and in their own constituencies as well and I always appreciate their engagement and support, particularly the support they give to international protection families within their own areas. I will revert to Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan about the issue he raised. He raised that issue with me earlier today, so I will come back to him on that.

On the wider issue of child protection in IPAS centres, IPAS requires all centres, be they permanent or emergency centres, to comply with the requirements of Children First legislation. IPAS provides child protection briefings to all centres. The current round of briefings is focused on the emergency centres. The briefings are being delivered by the IPAS child safeguarding lead and IPAS tracks the completion of child safeguarding statements and provides guidance to centres in terms of completing these safeguarding statements. IPAS has engaged with the child safeguarding statement compliance unit in Tusla and is mindful of the findings of the report we are discussing today and the learnings of that report are being reflected by IPAS in terms of the briefings it is giving to centre management across the country.

As I stated at the beginning of the discussion, I acknowledge the publication of the Ombudsman for Children's special report and remain committed to providing appropriate reception conditions for all international protection applicants in Ireland in this unprecedented situation. The

Paper to end direct provision sets out an ambitious programme of reform to give effect to the programme for Government commitment to develop a new system of international protection centred on a not-for-profit approach. As we recall, the White Paper has three elements - accommodation, integration and supports. While significant progress has been made on integration and supports, undoubtedly the very significant challenge of responding to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine while also dealing with the significant increase in international protection applications since early 2022 has significantly impeded the delivery of the accommodation element set out in the proposed White Paper.

I understand that about 36 buildings were purchased to provide phase two accommodation. Those buildings are being used or will be used in conjunction with approved housing bodies or NGOs and will be used particularly for those more vulnerable families where living in a centre is a greater challenge. One of those units of accommodation is being used to provide accommodation with wraparound services for women who were trafficked into this country for the sex industry, were found and subsequently claimed international protection. We are using these buildings to provide additional supports to people in international protection who need additional supports often in conjunction with an NGO service provider.

It is in that vastly changed context of the significant number of arrivals that we are looking to continue with the implementation of the White Paper. We are undertaking a review of the implementation approach and as part of that, a full economic review of the estimated costs of the White Paper is being undertaken. That is important. It also helps me make my argument that it is better that we invest in State-owned accommodation or significant amounts of State-owned accommodation rather than placing all our spending into current spending on privately owned accommodation. To be able to manage ebbs and flows, there will probably always be some element of non-State accommodation needed but the very core of our accommodation has to be State-owned and State-provided.

In terms of the two other key elements of the White Paper, namely, integration and supports, the principle of integration from day one remains the key cornerstone of the White Paper. Notwithstanding those accommodation challenges we face, significant progress has been in terms of the White Paper commitment to improving integration. New local authority integration teams have been set up around the country. These are four staff funded by my Department in every local authority to support the integration of those in international protection, Ukrainians seeking temporary protection and those in the Irish refugee protection programme. This is a really important step forward in terms of making it clear that there is an ongoing role for local authorities. They often have the best local knowledge in terms of the links that need to be made. I recognise the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the County and City Management Association and the Local Government Management Agency in terms of that. The recruitment of these local authority integration teams is taking place across the country and I know some have already made their appointments. An international protection integration fund was launched in 2022 that aims to enable community-based organisations across Ireland to play a greater role in supporting the integration of international protection applicants at national and local level. Over €2.8 million in funding has been awarded to 137 organisations since the fund was launched in 2022.

In terms of supports, a key focus of the White Paper is on child well-being and supporting families. A new funding stream was introduced this year for the children and young people's services committees. This is to support them in further developing, enhancing and expanding the provision of their support services to families in IPAS accommodation. In 2023, over €1.3 million was awarded for a range of initiatives, including projects aimed at community integration, supports for parents, emergency accommodation and mental health. This has enabled families and children in international protection to engage with their local communities through music and sports programmes, well-being programmes and cultural and community exchange events. Following the success of this year, an increased amount of €1.5 million has been allocated to provide this service in 2024.

As part of budget 2024, I secured an additional €4.7 million to address the risk of child poverty among international protection children and over the course of the year, I will set out how my Department intends to invest that significant additional investment.

IPAS continues to prioritise children and address their vulnerabilities in accordance with the requirements of the EU reception conditions directive. Child protection is a multi-agency and multidisciplinary activity and agencies and professionals must work together in the interests of children.

I and my Department are fully cognisant that the best interests of the child are paramount. We are cognisant that the children in international protection are some of the most vulnerable. We recognise we need to do more. The report from the Ombudsman for Children gives us strong guidance in terms of what are the key elements that the Department needs to focus on in this emergency time but also in terms of building long-term structures that ensure that, as we pass through this emergency time but recognise that we will continue to see significant levels of migration, including significant numbers of people seeking international protection, we have to design a system that is built to cater for that and for the most vulnerable people coming here, children and young people.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

I thank the Minister for his contribution and his wrap up.

One would be mistaken for thinking what the Minister is saying sounds good but the practise and the reality on the ground is what will test it and what will show what is actually happening in relation to it.

There is nobody that knows exactly what is happening like the Ombudsman's office does and the Department should be engaging with it, even at this stage, to get its feedback, see what is happening and see what more needs to be done to ensure that children are safe and are looked after in this difficult situation that all families find themselves in.

No doubt the Government finds itself in a difficult situation with the volume and numbers that are coming in here but I would be afraid that in three years' time we will be standing here and still talking about the difficulty and the big numbers that are coming. That is my big fear. A few years ago, in the budget, the Minister said he was giving an amount off the electricity bill and he had to give it to every house in the country. All the millionaires and everyone had to get the same amount off because it was too complex and too difficult to work on it and to make a payment that works for people who needed it. Two years down the line, they were still giving us payment in the last budget but it is still too difficult. They still cannot do it. Until we decide that we have to do this and we are going to do this, it will always be too difficult to do it.

Maybe there is something that could be done straightaway. The Minister says HIQA inspects the IPAS centres but it does not inspect the centres that are contracted into IPAS, such as the hotels. HIQA inspects private nursing homes. They are not HSE properties. They are not Government properties. They are private nursing homes and HIQA inspects them. Maybe HIQA could be adapted to inspect the hotels and places like that as well. That would make a real difference to the people who are forced to live in them. It would mean that the exorbitant amounts that we are paying to those providers could be put to good use to ensure that people are safe as well because there are problems. For example, one quote in the report is in relation to poor governance and that there is little space for the movement and development of young children, in some instances, even to situate a cot in a room where young children have to sleep in a bed with adults in accommodation that is provided by the State to families. Whether it is provided through the private operators or provided by the State, it should be provided safely. That is the reality that we should be working on.

The Minister talked eloquently about the White Paper, but the White Paper is out of date now. The numbers that are coming have way surpassed anything in the White Paper. When is the review of the White Paper and the new White Paper to be published? That will be important as well. Maybe over the next couple of days the Minister could say when the White Paper will be published and when we can expect a new White Paper that will guide what we are looking at for the future because that is vitally important.

Years ago, I was involved in the direct provision centre that was provided in Donegal town in 2000. I was involved in a support group for that there and it worked well. There were actually children in that direct provision centre living with adults put there by IPAS. IPAS would not accept that they were children and was forcing them to live with adults but yet the Government supported them to go to school. How could children be supported to go to school but not be supported and recognised as children living with adults there? I hope we have moved on from that but we have still, obviously, a long way to go to ensure that people are respected and looked after. That is the kind of thing that we do not want to see being repeated and we need to ensure that it is done properly.

I stated already that I do not doubt the Minister wanting to do it and wanting to do it right, but I have to question whether the Government's commitment is to do that. I also have to question whether that is the reality because we cannot continue to be in an emergency situation indefinitely.

I welcome that 36 buildings have been procured. I wonder what stage they are at. There is one, the Minister is saying, that is used for women who are trafficked. I welcome that. At what stage are the rest of the buildings at? Will they be coming on stream? How quickly will they be coming on stream because that will make a difference as well? As I say, maybe then we can get HIQA to inspect those buildings and what is being done in relation to them. That would be very important as well.

I thank the Members who have contributed and thank the Minister for his response. I acknowledge that at the Business Committee it was recognised that this debate should take place and it was supported by all Members. It might not appear that way when one looks at the Members who have turned up here tonight, but that is a Thursday evening. It is unfortunate that is the way of it.

I thank Deputies Funchion, Whitmore and Pádraig O'Sullivan as well for their contributions. This work will continue to be important.

I also thank the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon. A Donegal man too, it is important that he is acknowledged here. I would like to see them work very closely with the Department, and taken on board. It is important that there is somebody who can hold everybody to account. We all need to be held to account. We should be embracing that and we should welcome that. We should be looking to achieve the standards that they set for us as well because that is important. If we do that over the next year or two, we will achieve something.

Ultimately, it is about bettering and making more comfortable the lives of the children who are coming here because they will contribute more to the State than we will ever expend on them now. That has to be recognised too.

Question put and agreed to.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 7.48 p.m. go dtí 2.p.m., Dé Máirt, an 5 Nollaig 2023.

The Dáil adjourned at 7.48 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 5 December 2023.