Written Answers Nos. 219-238
219. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which the number of children under the possible threat of mental, physical, sexual or other abuse comes to the attention of Tusla, which can engage without interference from any other source; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6355/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
220. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which the funds available to his Department remain adequate to meet whatever challenges may arise, for whatever reason, in the course of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6356/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, detail gross expenditure of almost €3.3 billion in respect of my Department for 2023. These Estimates have just been approved by Select Committee and will be voted on in the Dáil shortly. This allocation represents an increase of €463m (16%) over the 2022 Supplementary Estimate and for the first time, my Department is in a position to invest more than €1 billion in early learning and care and school aged childcare. This allocation also provides for a range of key services to children and young people, including those delivered by Tusla, and funding towards gender equality, human rights, LGBTI+ issues, Traveller and Roma issues, migrant integration and disability policy and youth services.
Provision has also been made for the continued response to the Ukrainian crisis, to increased demand from applicants for international protection and for the set up costs to establish the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. Further funding will be required on the opening of the Scheme, in order to provide for financial payments and medical cards for survivors and former residents.
My officials and DPER are working closely on monitoring the expenditure position across my Department on an ongoing basis, including in relation to ongoing monitoring of the demands arising from the war in Ukraine.
As the Deputy will be aware, officials of my Department are currently working with officials in the Department of Health to make appropriate arrangements for the transfer of Specialist Community Based Disability Services and related allocation. I can assure the Deputy that, throughout the year, through engagement with DPER, I am committed to ensuring that sufficient resources are available to my Department to meet challenges likely to arise, across the broad spectrum within the area of my Ministerial responsibility.
222. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he is satisfied that equality prevails in all situations affecting children whose rights and entitlements might be affected in family law courts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6358/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice, as the court services are under her remit.
223. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he is satisfied that Tusla is free to carry out its statutory requirements in all situations which might emerge, without exception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6359/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter for Tusla. I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy. Please be advised if this relates to an ongoing matter before the courts it may limit the response to an extent.
224. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which efforts continue in relation to integration, with particular reference to the need to ensure maximum efforts throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6360/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Migrant Integration Strategy was launched in 2017 and concluded at the end of 2021, having been extended for a year due to the impact of COVID-19. The Strategy forms the central policy framework adopted by the Government to promote the integration of all migrants and their Irish-born children across ten areas of public policy. The Strategy aims to enhance diversity, inclusion and equity for migrants across all aspects of Irish society. Additionally, the Strategy focuses on social inclusion measures, improved access to public services and aims to address racism and xenophobia and support integration and social cohesion at a local level.
A range of funding programmes have been initiated under the MIS to support integration projects nationwide. One such programme is the Communities Integration Fund. In June 2022, 124 community projects throughout the country received funding through the Fund. The National Integration Fund, a three-year funding programme to promote initiatives that address areas where migrants find it difficult to avail of opportunities on an equal basis with other members of Irish society. 18 successful projects located throughout Ireland will be granted funding totalling almost €2.2 million over the three-year period.
The Programme for Government has committed to developing a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy and planning is currently underway. My Department has commissioned a study to evaluate the implementation processes for the Migrant Integration Strategy alongside the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy and the National Strategy for Women and Girls. Consultation for the new Migrant Integration Strategy will begin shortly and the new Strategy is expected to be published in 2024.
225. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he continues to interact with youth organisations throughout the country with a view to identifying their priorities and providing assistance, if and when required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6361/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding to Education and Training Boards (ETB) to support youth services in their area. My officials hold quarterly meetings with the ETBs and these meetings assist my Department in identifying service needs and emerging issues, particularly for vulnerable young people.
Last Year the UBU programme manager within my Department visited all 16 ETBs and over 70 youth services/organisations nationwide, engaging with youth service managers, youth workers and young people.
My officials maintain regular contact with the 30 national youth organisations funded under the Youth Service Grant Scheme and with Gaisce. This includes the National Youth Organisation Meeting which I attend twice a year to hear directly from the sector.
Officials from my Department meet with various youth organisations on an individual basis when the need arises, in regular formal meetings with individual organisations or as a group, and by maintaining informal contacts.
My Department will continue to engage with all stakeholders in the sector to ensure that we are providing supports to youth organisations and to young people.
226. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 168 of 1 February 2023, where he stated that “there may be instances where a session includes hours which a parent is paying for but does not avail of. In these instances, the subsidy would reduce with the sessional fee remaining unchanged”, if he will ensure that measures will be enacted as a matter of urgency to address certain issues given the unfairness of this position, which results in affected parents paying more for childcare than if their children were in the facility for longer hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6388/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Childcare Scheme is designed to be flexible, recognising that childcare needs are different for each family. In creating a single scheme, it was important to recognise these differences and create a system that could respond to them.
For this reason subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for.
The subsidies are based on the amount of childcare needed, as agreed between parents and providers, up to a maximum number of subsidised hours. For Universal subsidies the maximum number of subsidised hours that may be awarded is 45. For income assessed subsidies the maximum number of subsidised hours that may be awarded are either 45 or 20 depending on their work/study status. If a parent (and their partner, if they have one) are working, studying or training, the maximum number of subsidised hours available per week is 45. If a parent (or their partner, if they have one) are not working, studying or training, the maximum number of subsidised hours available per week is 20.Parents will be given an award that includes the maximum number of hours (45 or 20) which may be subsidised. They and their providers work together to agree the childcare hours needed, based on a combination of what a parent needs and what a provider can reasonably offer. The NCS subsidy is then applied to the actual amount of childcare used, up to the maximum amount of subsidised hours available under the Scheme limits.
Any additional hours where no childcare is actually being used, for example to make up the difference between the hours of childcare used and the session type set by the provider, are unsubsidised hours and are a matter for the parent to pay as part of the copayment to the provider. Providers, as private businesses, set their own fees, sessions and admissions policies.
227. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if people working within the core funding scheme can be allocated a teaching number to avoid returning the same information every year for validation. [6400/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn September 2022, the new Core Funding scheme was launched as part of Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare.
Core Funding is worth €259 million in full year costs and its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.
To date, 94% of services have signed up. The majority of Core Funding is allocated to Partner Services based on their capacity: the number of child places available, the age group/s of children for whom those places are available and the number of hours of provision. Importantly, Core Funding is based on staffed capacity, meaning there must be enough staff in place to satisfy the minimum staff to child ratios as set in the Regulations. Early Learning and Care services with graduate-led provision and graduate managers are also able to attract a graduate premium under Core Funding.
Due to the nature of the allocation method for Core Funding, it is necessary for the Department to gather and retain information on services and staff, to track allocations, service specifications, the movement of staff, and differences in capacity. Pobal, as Scheme Administrator for Core Funding, requires services to provide this information through the Core Funding application and Service Profiles accessed through the Hive platform. The Hive generates a unique staff identification number, which is service specific, for each staff member that is recorded in the Service Profile.
It is intended that the retention of the data associated with the unique staff identification number on the Hive will remove the requirement for qualifications reassessment on an annual basis. In addition, this data will enable the Department to track changes related to the administration and operation of Core Funding and the public funding in the sector.
228. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the preparations that have been made to deal with the anticipated further influx of Ukrainian refugees throughout 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6405/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on meeting the immediate accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict.
My Department is focused on the short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. To date, more than 73,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 54,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State.
In excess of 700 contracts are in operation to provide accommodation to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Currently contracted accommodation capacity at present comes to approximately 42,000 beds in hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs, hostels, self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings.
In sourcing and securing accommodation, the central consideration is the safety and security of the displaced people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
As per Government decision of 28 October, a new policy standardising the accommodation offer and providing for greater equity has been introduced. The policy seeks a contribution towards the cost of meals from BOTPs who are in full board accommodation. My Department has adopted a phased approach in implementing the Government decision by converting full board contracts to the new contracts as they fall due/expire. My Department is engaged in a market testing exercise with providers. Early indicators are positive but negotiations are ongoing.
If arrivals continue at the current rate (daily average of 180), 11,000 additional BOTPs will potentially seek accommodation on arrival, between now and the end of March 2023. As tourist season approaches, there is also a risk of losing beds when some providers choose to return to accommodating tourists for summer 2023, generating significant knock-on impacts to bed spaces for refugees across the system. My Department is now reaching limits of capacity within the serviced accommodation market, with offers of serviced accommodation still being received, but at a smaller scale.
Contingency Planning continues and my Department continues to consider multiple streams when it comes to procuring accommodation.
My Department introduced a new accommodation offer management process on January 23. The updated system is now the only channel through which offers will be accepted for review. The objective of the new portal is to streamline the offer process and deliver efficiencies. New offer submission guidelines have been produced and are available to view on the Gov.ie website.
Efforts to secure additional accommodation include the continued matching of pledge offers. Since March 2022, my Department in collaboration with the Irish Red Cross and the Implementing partners has contributed to ensuring as many appropriate pledge offers as possible have been activated. To date, over 6, 400 beneficiaries of temporary protection have been accommodated in over 2,700 properties. The Irish Red Cross will resume ownership of the pledge process in 2023 with the objective of advancing matches to the greatest extent possible.
My Department is also collaborating with the OPW in implementing the rapid build homes programme. The Government has approved the construction of 700 rapid build homes with the potential to house up to 2,800 individuals in family units. The rapid build homes will be constructed on state owned land. The objective is to install 500 units by March/April 2023. After a programme of engagement with local representatives and local authorities, work has begun on the first phase of sites. Further sites will come on stream in the coming weeks following the completion of suitability assessment work. My Department is working with other Departments and agencies (D/Health, D/Education, HSE) to ensure that the additional resources needed are in place.
My Department continues to engage with sporting organisations and other bodies to bring any other venues or other suitable buildings on stream to house those fleeing the war in Ukraine. My Department is also working as a member of the Senior Officials Accommodation Working Group set up by the Department of an Taoiseach and including the Department of Housing to advance certain refurbished properties in a timely manner. The unoccupied homes campaign is also coordinated by Local Authorities and as of 25 January, over 1150 offers have been made via the latter with 179 allocated and providing a home for 618 Ukrainians.
My Department is collaborating with both the D/Defence and Defence Forces in procuring additional temporary accommodation facilities. Kilbride Army Camp has been operating as a temporary rest centre since 7 November 2022. My Department in partnership with the Defence Forces are actively involved in securing alternative suitable accommodation facilities which may assist in providing shelter throughout 2023.
My Department regularly meets with the Local Authorities through the auspices of the City and County Managers’ Association to review and plan for the establishment of temporary accommodation rest centres. This interaction and engagement will continue throughout 2023 as my Department seeks to source and provide the accommodation required to meet the unprecedented demand.
Officials from my Department will continue to engage with the Department of the Taoiseach, which has responsibility for chairing an all of Government Senior Officials Group (SOG), which meets regularly to consider and review matters relating to the accommodation needs and requirements of those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The humanitarian response to the crisis throughout Ireland has been overwhelming. I wish to commend the efforts of all those involved - NGOs, volunteers, community representatives and staff and officials from my own Department and other Departments and State agencies who have contributed.
My Department and its staff will continue in their efforts to assist those arriving as best they can throughout 2023, working with colleagues across Government, agencies and those in communities on a coordinated response.
229. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of offers of accommodation for refugees that remain unanswered by his Department and relevant agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6406/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has now contracted in excess of 42,000 beds with over 700 providers to accommodate approximately 53,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection. As part of the whole of Government humanitarian response, my Department launched an updated commercial accommodation offer management process on 23 January 2023. The objective of this updated approach is to streamline the offer process and deliver greater efficiencies.
The updated offer submission form available on gov.ie provides a single route for submission of an offer. The new process provides greater guidance on what my Department will contract, signposts providers to other channels across government which may be more appropriate to their offer and enables a timely review of all offers submitted through the new portal. The new process is used for all new and resubmitted offers and for offers of additional rooms in a property my Department is already in contract with.
I am advised by my officials that as of 7 February, 260 offers have been received. The triage team are working at pace to respond to providers within 3-5 working days to progress/reject offers and providing clear communications on follow up steps. It should be noted that approximately one-third of offers received through the new process are legacy offers that are being reviewed and approximately 20% of offers received are rejected as invalid. These offers are largely small residential private homes or apartments with limited bed capacity.
I am advised that the relevant team are also processing a backlog of approximately 40 offers prior to the new portal going live and are endeavouring to review and clear these offers as swiftly as possible. The focus of offers being advanced by my Department are those which can be accessed by BOTPs without delay. Offers which involve refurbishment are considered by the Accommodation Working Group established by Department of an Taoiseach.
230. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current status and proposed timeframe for the First 5 action to develop a dedicated child health workforce, adopting a population-based approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6407/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.
231. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to expand the ECCE services to include children with additional needs in preschool-age classes; the engagement he has had with the Department of Education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6415/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has made extensive provision to support children with additional needs in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme.
The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access ECCE. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high quality early learning and care. AIM is based on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting. It does not require any diagnosis, recognising that many children do not have a diagnosis of a disability when starting pre-school.
AIM has seven levels of progressive support. Universal supports (levels 1-3) empower early learning and care providers to create a more inclusive culture in their setting through an Inclusion Charter and Guidelines for pre-schools, and a level 6 qualification in Leadership for Inclusion (LINC).
Targeted supports (levels 4-7) are based on the needs of the child and the pre-school setting they are attending. These supports include expert early years educational advice from Better Start Early Years Specialists, capital grants for special equipment and/or minor alterations for pre-school settings, and therapy supports. AIM level 7 support provides additional funding to pre-schools who have a child requiring extra support. Providers can use this funding either to reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the pre-school room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the ECCE setting.
One of the commitments within First 5, a Government Strategy for Babies and Children, was to undertake an end-of-year-three evaluation of AIM. That evaluation has now been completed, with the final report due to be published later this year. Subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, Department officials will be considering enhancements to, and/or expansion of AIM to, for example, all ELC services and/or to children outside of the eligible age range for the ECCE programme.
233. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to pilot the provision of a range of meal options to children, including the provision of hot meals in early learning settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6419/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing my announcement of the hot meals pilot scheme in November 2022, my Department have collaborated with Pobal to recruit nine services as pilot sites to examine the delivery of an enhanced food offer in sessional pre-school and part-time services. Given that a large number of settings including all full-day care services already provide this service, the aim of this pilot is to provide an in-depth, qualitative test of the logistics and impact of hot meal provision across other types of setting.
Additionally, this pilot will be testing the delivery of different meal options. These include:
- A breakfast or snack
- A breakfast or snack, plus a packed lunch to take home
- A hot meal or snack
The provision of healthy food in Early Years settings will have a positive impact on children’s health, well-being and development, as well as their social participation.
The roll-out has commenced in Q1 of 2023, and results of the pilot scheme will inform decisions regarding a wider roll out. Additionally, the pilot will inform my Department’s ongoing work to develop a DEIS-type model for early learning and childcare, which aims to provide services with a proportionate mix of universal and targeted supports to support children and families accessing their services who are experiencing disadvantage.
234. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions his Department has taken to promote the safety and wellbeing of unaccompanied children and young people seeking international protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6420/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
235. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on applications being processed through the information and tracing legislation. [6421/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation and Tracing services, as provided for under the Act, opened to applications on 3rd October 2022. As of 7th February, a total of 6,744 applications for information have been received by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), in addition to 3,080 applications for tracing services and 3,031 preferences registered to the Contact Preference Register.
Processing the initial volume of information requests, reflecting decades of demand, is proving to be a challenge. However, as of 7th February, 1,740 cases have been completed with 1,545 applicants having received their information. In addition, the AAI have successfully identified 210 matches on the Contact Preference Register for people seeking to contact relatives and are working with the matched people to facilitate contact, with contact having been facilitated between 60 pairs of relatives so far.
236. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the impact that increases in the national childcare scheme is having; if his Department plans to increase the subsidy in budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6422/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, Budget 2023 has introduced a major reform to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) from January 2023, which will substantially improve the affordability of early learning and childcare for families.
From 2 January, all families accessing registered early learning and childcare receive a minimum hourly NCS subsidy of €1.40. With the previous minimum hourly NCS subsidy set at €0.50 per hour, this represents an additional €0.90 per hour off the cost of early learning and childcare.
From this date, any family on the universal or income assessed subsidy who was not already at the maximum hourly rate under the scheme will have seen an increase in their subsidy. For those who receive an income assessed subsidy, the amount of the increase will taper down as they approach the maximum hourly rate. The exact reduction in costs will be unique to each family depending on their individual circumstances, and their early learning and childcare needs.
In terms of participation, a total of 108,369 children have benefited from the NCS in January 2023. This compares to a total of 54,907 children who benefitted from the scheme for the same period in 2022. This represents a 97% increase in the number of children benefitting from a successful claim year on year.
With regards to subsidies, the average weekly subsidy for income assessed subsidies was €70.04 in January 2023 – an increase of 8% from the previous year. The average universal subsidy for the same period was €34.88 – an increase of 91% compared to the previous year.
Lastly, decisions about increased investment are generally taken in the context of the Budget. In this context, various options for expenditure policy changes in the sector will be considered prior to Budget 2024 including in relation to the NCS.
237. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there is financial support available to employees who return to college part-time (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6288/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt present, the student grant scheme is targeted at full-time students. Courses that are part-time, less than two years in duration, conducted online or as distance courses or which lead to a special purpose or distance award are not currently approved for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme.
However, I have been consistent in my position that we need to develop our student support system over time to ensure that it supports more flexible forms of learning. This will particularly benefit more disadvantaged learners, as recognised in the National Access Plan.
The issue of potentially expanding part-time delivery of tertiary education in Ireland is a complex one and significant planning will need to be conducted at both national and institution level to manage the significant supply-side impacts on educational institutions. Funding the Future has committed the Government to financially supporting part-time, blended and postgraduate learning in the medium term, once existing reform commitments are embedded within the sector.
I have established a steering group to support the implementation of the Funding the Future reform framework. I chair this group alongside Professor Anne Looney and Professor Tom Collins, which is supported by two working groups comprising representatives of institutions, students, trade unions and employers. The working group focused on skills, participation and cost is currently examining the potential to support students to avail of more flexible learning opportunities.
I would expect that this working group will provide their consideration of these issues in the coming months. Having regard to this initial assessment, my Department will then examine whether there are priority areas that can form part of the consideration of Budget 2024, particularly with respect to supporting disadvantaged and under-represented learners.
Students in publicly funded third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial difficulty can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. I have recently announced an additional €4.3 million to be allocated to SAF to assist students with the cost of living. This was in addition to the €8m that was allocated in Budget 2023. This brings the total allocation for the Student Assistance Fund for the 22/23 academic year to over €20 million, which is the highest amount that has ever been provided under this fund. The HEA will distribute funding of over €4.3m to the HEIs in early 2023.
This Fund assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. It is open to both full and part-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis. More information on the SAF is available at www.studentfinance.ie.
Tax relief on tuition fees may be available for students attending part-time courses. Details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners.
238. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons facilitated in relocating to Ireland under the Afghan admission programme; the number of people who have been accepted but are yet to be relocated; and the number of persons refused participation in the programme, including the rationale for said refusals. [6408/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am conscious that this is a difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones and would like to take this opportunity to assure them that my Department is processing applications under the Afghan Admissions Programme as quickly as possible.
To ensure as many people as possible can avail of this important programme my Department has been liaising with representatives of the Afghan Community and with applicants directly to ensure the Afghan Admission Programme team have everything needed to progress applications. Where applicants are missing important information, such as proof of identity and familial relationships, the Afghan Admission Programme Unit contacted people directly to gather the required documents. This process is now complete. The requested information has begun to be received and applications continue to be assessed in a pragmatic and humanitarian manner.
My Department commenced issuing decisions in the last quarter of 2022. Approvals issued in respect of 81 beneficiaries under the Afghan Admissions Programme up to the 31st of December 2022. A further 74 approvals have been issued up to the 9th of February 2023. This brings the total number of approvals under this Programme to 155. To date, no refusal letters have been issued.
My Department has no responsibility for relocating beneficiaries of this Programme. The eligibility criteria requires that the applicant must be able to maintain their nominated family members, including providing them with accommodation. They also have responsibility for covering travel costs.
It should be noted that the Afghan Admission Programme is not the only avenue for Afghan nationals to come to Ireland. Since August 2021, a total of 143 ‘join family visas’ have been approved for Afghan nationals and 107 family reunification applications have also been approved.
A significant number of Afghan people have also been allocated places under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), which is under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality. Disability, Integration and Youth. My Department provides the visas to facilitate their travel to Ireland and approximately 600 visa waiver letters have been issued to date.
