Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 28 February 2023

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth

Integration and Refugee Issues: Discussion (Resumed)

1:00 am

Mr. Reuben Hambakachere:

On the issue of best practice, we need to revisit the integration strategy. I know it is not the best of strategies but it is coming to an end in 2023 and we need a review because that strategy does not include asylum seekers and refugees. We are starting from a point where the other Departments are not able to engage with it because asylum seekers and refugees are not in that integration strategy. We need to go back when we review that and look at the role of each Department in delivering the integration strategy. If something is not in it, it is going to be omitted. If we have asylum seekers and international protection applicants in that integration strategy, it will be much easier for me to go to another Department and say that it is its responsibility to deliver for a certain group.