Mr. Nick Henderson:

I thank the Senator. To respond to a few or her points, on psychological supports, for protection applicants a person, under EU law now transposed into Irish law, should receive a vulnerability assessment as to their reception needs. There is a vulnerability assessment in place. We have just produced a report on it that we have sent to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. There is a pilot that has been under way for more than a year now. Our report makes reference to it. A Ukrainian refugee, because they are entitled to temporary protection, does not have a legal right to a vulnerability assessment. However, the toolbox, if you like, of the vulnerability assessment could be applied to Ukrainian refugees though, unfortunately, I do not think there is capacity in the existing State services to do that.

We have commented that the vulnerability assessment delivered by the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, in some circumstances can be an empty device, in that the determination given by the assessment does not necessarily have a follow on because of a lack of capacity, resources and so on.

In regard to hotel accommodation, which is an important point, we are here today to talk about education, but where somebody lives is crucial to education. The Ombudsman for Children and the Ombudsman have criticised long-term hotel accommodation for children growing up in homeless accommodation. That has a detrimental effect on children. We know that direct provision has a detrimental effect on children. The Ombudsman's report on direct provision speaks to that so clearly. There are now more than 20,000 Ukrainian refugees in State-provided accommodation, the majority of whom are in hotels. The State's welcome to Ukrainian refugees has been extremely commendable, but I fear that without the implementation of medium- to long-term accommodation considerations, we will be talking in the autumn about them living in hotels for long periods and all the issues that brings. That will be a ball and chain and will hinder children's development in education. Unfortunately, much of it flows back to accommodation. The State's response to Ukrainian refugees compared with people seeking protection is very problematic. That is particularly the case at the beginning, in terms of supports being quickly delivered to one group and not to another group. The long-term accommodation problems will begin to hinder all refugees unless we take quick action.