Ms Karen McHugh:

I thank the committee for affording us the opportunity to present to it. I will highlight some of the key barriers and challenges facing returning emigrants. As time is limited and we are one of three groups, I will just focus on three key issues.

For those committee members who are not familiar with our work, Safe Home Ireland is a County Mayo-based, not-for-profit, national organisation with a global remit. We were set up in 2000 to facilitate the desire for elderly Irish emigrants abroad to return to live in their native areas. Over the years, the organisation has evolved from simply providing housing options to older Irish-born emigrants. We now provide a range of other services, including information, advice, guidance and advocacy to all emigrants abroad, as well as outreach and advocacy support to those who return home regardless of age, circumstances or geographical location on return. Safe Home Ireland is staffed by a CEO, a co-ordinator and two outreach officers. Our head office is in Mulranny, County Mayo, and our outreach offices are located in Kerry and Galway. We are core funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the emigrant support programme.

The three areas that we wish to present on fall broadly under the three headings of housing, health and welfare. Regarding housing, Safe Home Ireland was responsible for the amendment to the capital assistance scheme in 2001 to enable accommodation to be provided under the scheme by voluntary housing bodies for elderly emigrants returning to reside in the State. This involves Safe Home Ireland assessing qualifying applicants while still living abroad. To date, Safe Home Ireland has supported more than 2,020 people who have secured accommodation and returned from all corners of the globe to all 26 counties.

In recent years, this process has become more complex, with voluntary housing bodies insisting that our applicants must be assessed by the relevant local authority to be considered for housing rather than accepting direct referrals, which was customary. While we know that the current housing crisis affects all citizens, we are finding it increasingly difficult to secure housing for our applicants and many are not able to return under our scheme. This is particularly applicable to those returning to cities and towns. Traditionally, if there was a delay in our securing suitable housing, some of our applicants would consider returning to housing in the private rented sector. Obviously, this is not possible now due to the lack of available housing assistance payment, HAP, properties countrywide. Sadly, the avenues open to older Irish emigrants seeking to return to their homeland under our programme are becoming restricted.

This brings me to our second point, which relates to people returning home in crisis situations, in whose numbers we have noticed a considerable increase in recent years. This can include those forced to return as a result of deportation; undocumented people returning on health grounds because they do not have private health insurance in the US; people exiting prison, which Ms Kirrane from the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, ICPO, will cover; those returning from conflict zones, in whose respect Crosscare has done considerable work; and those being repatriated with the assistance of consular services.

There are particular difficulties for people accessing emergency housing services and supports through every local authority. Homeless services are oversubscribed in urban areas and access to emergency accommodation and supports in more rural counties is non-existent. Coupled with the fact that many returnees cannot always demonstrate a "connection" to the areas they arrive in and do not have the funds or resources to relocate to an area where they are deemed to have a local connection, these issues can exacerbate what is for some already a crisis situation, for example, family breakdown, survivors of institutional abuse or ex-prisoners. We recommend that returning emigrants be recognised as a distinct group in homeless service provision and not be forced to return to their local areas if there are negative reasons for them not to do so.

Regarding welfare, accessing social protection supports has become more complex and challenging for returning emigrants, particularly those who are vulnerable and returning in crisis situations. The introduction of online procedures to secure appointments for PPS numbers and the public services card is posing hardship for many returnees who are not computer literate or aware of the new procedures. Our outreach and support service operates throughout the Twenty-six Counties and we have noted that, in many areas, it not possible to make a telephone appointment to apply for a PPS number or a public services card, which leads to delays in securing employment, accessing social protection supports and medical cards, etc.

We appreciate the move to online processes for the streamlining of applications, but there are some people who are not computer literate and we firmly believe that a telephone system should continue to operate, both for those at home and those returning. Where vulnerable people have support, the online systems may not be so daunting, but our concern is for those who are trying to operate the system and doing so alone.

We are also concerned with the delays in the initial assessment for carer's allowance and disability allowance, which can take up to six months. Should an application be denied, the appeals process is equally as lengthy. This leaves returnees, many of whom do not have family support, in hardship. The Safe Home Ireland outreach service is available to anyone who has moved or returned to Ireland regardless of age or circumstance. In carrying out this work, we have been contacted by returned emigrants who, having returned home under their own steam, have found themselves in crisis situations and going through the welfare appeals process. The primary reason for appeals in these circumstances is because applicants were not made aware by Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection staff of the habitual residence condition, HRC, and, therefore, had failed to provide the correct supporting documentation at the time of their initial applications or reviews. Once in the appeals process, people can only access an emergency needs payment via the supplementary welfare allowance, which is a one-off payment for those subject to an appeals process that can take months. The only other safety net available to them is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's food parcels and vouchers, which are a lifeline for many people.

I wish to refer to a case study that remains outstanding. One of our outreach officers has been supporting an Irish-born citizen who returned to Ireland to care for his 87 year old uncle. The client in question had returned home independently and contacted us once his claim for carer's allowance had been referred to an appeals process. On return to Ireland, he engaged with the Department for four months before it sent out a HRC form. He was turned down for carer's allowance, as he was not considered habitually resident in the State. An appeal was submitted in mid-July 2018 and he had a successful outcome last week, which was five months later. On receipt of the award letter, our client rang the carer's allowance section and, after being on hold for 20 minutes, was told that his claim had been approved but that the award of the payment would not be processed for at least another month. He was told that the Department was processing by date and was only up to 10 October at that point. With the Christmas holiday season, it is unlikely that his payment will be made before January 2019. Our client was advised that he could apply for a supplementary welfare allowance weekly payment via the Department's local representatives, formerly known as community welfare officers, CWOs, in the interim. He is not happy to do that, as his experience since these problems started 12 months ago has been negative. He has saved the State a minimum of €52,000 by returning home to care for his elderly uncle.

We recommend additional training for the Department's front-line staff in providing guidance on the HRC to applicants at initial application and local review stages. This would not only assist applicants in vulnerable circumstances, but would save time and resources at departmental level by preventing unnecessary and lengthy appeals.

In terms of health, returning to nursing home care in Ireland is a preference for some Irish who currently live in nursing care abroad. However, the application process is extremely complicated and individuals and families are not clear that they or their relatives can apply from abroad. In recent years, we have been contacted by individuals abroad, as well as families in Ireland who are taking their loved ones home to live for the remainder of their short lives. The numbers applying from abroad are relatively small, but the difference that this can make to someone's life is enormous. We are advocating that people should be afforded the opportunity to return home in dignity to live the remainder of their short lives in Ireland.

In recent times, we have been directly involved in the cases of three interested parties and applicants who contacted us to assist in their nursing home application processes. Sadly, due to the lengthy and bureaucratic system, all three applicants died before realising their dream of returning home to live in Ireland.

We are concerned that some of the nursing home support offices are not aware that non-resident applications can be made at all. Also, in terms of backup documentation, there is a variation in what the regional nursing home support offices will accept. It can often transpire that what is technically available on paper at HSE level does not pan out when someone goes to make an actual application.

It is our suggestion that more extensive training should be provided to relevant HSE staff at a national and regional level to improve their understanding of the non-resident nursing home application process. This will ensure that they can fully brief agencies, families and individuals who may be making direct contact from abroad about the feasibility of such an application. Equally, we recommend that a separate information factsheet should be made available on the HSE website and that it be accessible to the Irish abroad.

We welcome the publication in February 2018 of the independently commissioned economic report by Indecon consultants entitled Addressing challenges Faced by Returning Irish Emigrants. This report, which was commissioned by the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, outlines in detail the challenges and barriers that many people face on return. It also makes a number of important recommendations to identify solutions. We note that progress has been made on some of the recommendations and look forward with anticipation to an update from the Minister of State.

We believe strongly that emigration is good for Ireland. We also strongly advocate that the various Departments and other external bodies named in the Indecon report and our presentation, work together to ensure that the current barriers are lifted so that Ireland can benefit from the citizens it exported during difficult economic and social times. I thank the committee for giving us this opportunity to present. Most of the challenges we have addressed, with our colleagues, are already well documented and are in the Indecon report to which I referred. We would like an update on the progress made to date on those 30 recommendations contained in the report published in February 2018. To resolve the challenges and barriers, we suggest that a broader multidepartmental approach is required. We know an interdepartmental committee on the Irish abroad was a recommendation on the Irish globally, as contained in Ireland's 2015 diaspora policy. We would welcome up-to-date feedback on the work of this committee.

I have not had the chance to talk about this today but we would also like clarification on issues resulting from Brexit that will affect returned and returning emigrants. I am referring in particular to EU entitlements for some social protection payments and entitlements to healthcare, such as medical card provision under EU regulations, etc.