Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I appreciate that the Deputy has been in contact with me about this. She asked a similar question earlier today. I will endeavour to find additional information rather than giving her the same answer she received today.

Ireland has faced enormous challenges in the past year with the arrival of so many people seeking refuge here. The State and the people of Ireland have responded remarkably and with characteristic Irish resolve in the face of this unprecedented crisis. The State has successfully provided accommodation and supports to over 79,000 additional people in the space of one year. This equates to the population of the city of Galway.

My Department, with the support of my colleagues in the Government, is moving to create new responsive structures and put in place new funding channels to recognise the impact of new arrivals on communities around the country. The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and I, along with other key Ministers and Departments, are engaged with the Department of the Taoiseach to develop and implement new structures that will assist with the provision of information to communities, such as new centres, for example, and to better foster and strengthen positive links between communities and new arrivals.

Since early 2022, in the region of 20,000 new children have enrolled in our schools. Health, social welfare and employment supports have been put in place to assist those seeking refuge. This has been done through intensive efforts across all Departments, co-ordinated from the centre through a Cabinet committee.

In terms of health supports, the HSE, in consultation with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, developed a framework to provide options to deliver additional arrangements to support the delivery of sessional clinics for the beneficiaries of temporary protection, BOTPs, and international protection applicants, IPAs, living in congregated settings. These clinics take the form of temporary sessional clinics delivered by participating GPs in addition to their practice obligations, supported by HSE section 39 health and social care professionals.

I am aware that community healthcare west is putting arrangements in place with a local GP to provide services to Ballaghaderreen. Other community healthcare organisations are exploring opportunities to establish sessional clinics in their area.

In terms of educational supports, all children arriving to Ireland are entitled to enrol in school and receive an education and it is the intention of the State to provide enrolment in education within 12 weeks after arrival. Children do not require a personal public service, PPS, number to be enrolled in education. Tusla education support service educational welfare office staff seconded to the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, resident welfare team work with parents, local schools and centre staff to ensure school places are secured for all children of school-going age who are notified through IPAS.

In regard to the Irish refugee protection programme, programme refugees are initially accommodated in reception orientation centres where various State agencies provide supports including health screening, education for children and adults and childcare. Particular emphasis is placed on the acquisition of English language skills, for children and adults alike, to facilitate integration into the community. Programme refugee families are then moved to communities, with assistance from local authority integration projects, supported by funding under the EU asylum, migration and integration fund.

Local authorities, in accommodating programme refugees, provide a number of measures which seek to ensure families settle into their communities and have access to all the necessary services and supports to successfully integrate into Irish society. This includes being supported by dedicated resettlement support workers and intercultural workers. Interagency working groups are also established, which bring together local and national services and stakeholders to oversee preparation and integration for programme refugees.

Earlier this month, I launched the communities integration fund, CIF, for 2023 where €500,000 will be made available to local community-based projects nationwide to support the integration of migrants. Within the CIF, grants of up to €5,000 will be allocated to successful organisations to support integration activities.

A new funding call under the national integration fund is planned for 2023. The Deputy also knows about the community recognition fund, which I will say no more about for now.

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