Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Since publishing A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service, my Department has placed a significant focus and drive on delivering these reforms. Implementation of the White Paper began with the appointment of dedicated staff as part of a transition team in the Department to lead the transition to the new system. Governance structures were established to oversee transition to the new model in the form of a programme board and an external advisory group. A high-level implementation plan was drafted and completed setting out how the provisions contained in the White Paper would be introduced. The plan looked to prioritise and pilot certain elements of the model in 2022 to build capacity for the project.

Priority was placed on progressing elements of phase 2, including the development of the accommodation in the community model, the acquisition of properties, the development of the income support payment and of the local integration model, all with a view to commencing the movement of international protection accommodation services, IPAS, residents into phase 2 accommodation towards the end of 2022.

The war in Ukraine, however, has had an unavoidable impact on the timelines and deliverables for the White Paper. Alongside this, there has been a substantial increase in the number of people seeking international protection, with more than 15,000 new people seeking protection in 2022. It is not clear if the increase in international protection arrivals is a once-off impact due to the pent-up demand after the pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine or is a longer term trend. The White Paper was designed on the assumption that 3,500 new people would arrive per year, which figure was based on an average of the previous 20 years. In 2022, however, the numbers were significantly higher. It is in that vastly changed context that the overall review of the White Paper is under way. The review is reassessing the projections underpinning the White Paper with respect to numbers of arrivals and how this impacts on the deliverables and timelines involved.

I anticipate the review will be completed early in quarter 2, with a new set of proposals and timelines then to be brought to Government. Notwithstanding the war in Ukraine and the significant increase in international protection applicants, we will continue to press forward these reforms.

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