Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 September 2016
38. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she is satisfied with the rate of progress in accommodating refugees from Syria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27389/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government Decision on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of mass migration from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. Under the programme, the Government has pledged to accept a total of 4,000 migrants into the State by the end of 2017, through a combination of the EU relocation mechanism established in 2015 to assist Italy and Greece (opted into by Ireland voluntarily) and the UNHCR-led refugee resettlement programme currently focused on resettling refugees from camps in Jordan and Lebanon.
This is made up of approximately 2,622 persons to be relocated to Ireland from other EU Member States (Italy and Greece) under the two EU relocation decisions and 520 programme refugees which Ireland pledged to resettle under the voluntary EU resettlement programme. Persons admitted here under these programmes will also have an entitlement to family reunification, if they wish to do so, thereby further increasing the numbers accepted by Ireland.
Under the Resettlement programme, 520 programme refugees are to resettled in Ireland under the UNHCR-led programme by December 2016. To date, some 486 refugees have been admitted from Lebanon. Sufficient candidates were selected during a selection mission to Lebanon earlier this year to fill the rest of the quota of 520 refugees. These have been security screened and health screened and are scheduled to arrive in groups between now and the end of October. As we will have fulfilled our commitments under the EU Resettlement programme ahead of target, the Government recently announced that we are extending the resettlement programme to take in a further 260 refugees from Lebanon in 2017.
As regards the EU relocation programme, it is well documented that the pace of arrivals under this programme to date has been slower than expected. This has been a subject of concern for me. The Government is wholly committed to ensuring that Ireland meets its obligations under the programme in a timely fashion. I am pleased to report, therefore, that following a highly productive visit by Irish officials to Greece earlier this year, the frequency and numbers of arrivals has increased and is continuing to improve.
Ireland has to date taken in 69 Syrian people, mostly families. It is estimated that by the end of 2016 Ireland will have accepted over 360 people under relocation. A further 40 people have been assessed and cleared for arrival and arrangements for their travel to the State are currently being made and IRPP officials interviewed a group of 63 people in Athens who, once cleared for travel, are expected to arrive in October. The intention thereafter is to sustain the pace and size of intakes throughout 2017 at the levels required to allow Ireland to meet its commitments within the timeframes envisaged under the EU Relocation Decisions.
As regards relocations from Italy, some technical issues have arisen with regard to the programme in Italy. More recently, I spoke directly with relevant EU Ministerial colleagues, and a Departmental official travelled to Italy in order to address the delays. Following this work a solution to the technical issues preventing relocations from Italy is in train.
