David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments. Last week, we launched Community Sponsorship Ireland, to which I bring the attention of colleagues. Through this initiative, local communities can welcome a refugee family into their community, and there have been a number of examples during the pilot scheme, which has worked very well.

The mean length of stay in accommodation is now 21 months, which is down from 38 months in 2015, so progress is being made and I am determined progress will continue to be made in this regard. This year, with the help of Depaul Ireland, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Peter McVerry Trust, we have assisted 675 people to move into accommodation in the community from IPAS accommodation. A huge effort is being made to shorten the time people are in the centres, to shorten the amount of time it takes to make decisions, and to help people move on into accommodation when decisions have been made in their favour.

As I said, this is a complex area and there are many reasons people spend longer than we would like in the centres. However, I am sure the Deputy will agree with me that progress is being made and I want to confirm that progress will continue to be made in this important area.

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