Dáil debates
Tuesday, 26 November 2019
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Direct Provision System
6:55 pm
Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise a story that broke on Monday where 30 children in an emergency direct provision centre in Carrickmacross have been denied education for two months. This is absolutely shocking. Any time we have to deal with a child who does not have access to a school place is wrong. This raises many questions. When did the Department of Justice and Equality become aware of this? When did the Department of Education and Skills became aware of it? What type of monitoring is in place in the Department of Education and Skills for direct provision centres and, of course, those children in direct provision who are in emergency accommodation? Every child in direct provision has the same absolute right to education as an Irish citizen child.
I was in a school in Newbridge recently and was told about extra resources and supports that were needed for four children that the school has had since May. This situation, where 30 children have been essentially told to watch television during the day, is not good enough.
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will be aware that, in 2018, regulations were introduced in respect of reception standards for people applying for direct provision. Regulation 17 expressly deals with the right of children who are in direct provision to have access to educational services in the exact same way as though they were Irish citizens. I would be extremely concerned if I was the Minister for Education and Skills and learned that there were 30 children who had not received education and had not been attending school for a period of over two months.
It is very important that the Department gets more involved in this matter. The Minister needs to seek answers as to why it is the case that these very vulnerable people, in particular the children, have not been given access to education. We have a responsibility to people who are coming into this country and seeking direct provision. It is an extremely challenging environment for people who are coming in, particularly if they do not have the language. They need the support of Government and the Minister's Department to ensure that they are able to access education the same way as any Irish child can. I ask the Minister to look into this matter.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Nearly 2,000 children are in direct provision at the moment. It is regrettable that 30 of those children are failing to access education in Monaghan. I wonder if this problem has arisen because they are housed in temporary accommodation. Is that the problem behind it? If so, is there a way that the Departments of Justice and Equality and Education and Skills can ensure that, when we are relocating families to direct provision, that we do not put them into temporary accommodation but instead put them into accommodation in one of the 39 direct provision centres where there is support from wraparound services?
I was listening to the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, on Newstalk yesterday. He complimented how well the direct provision centre in Borrisokane, where wraparound services are in place, is working. It is unforgivable that a lady had to go on Newstalk yesterday and talk about her three children.
In respect of one of the children, it concerns the early childhood care and education, ECCE, preschool services. It is not only a matter for the Minister's Department. It is also a matter for the Department of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs because that child could not access those services.
7:05 pm
Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputies for observing the time.
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I dtús báire, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil chuig na Teachtaí uilig fá choinne an cheist iontach tábhachtach seo a ardú. Ba mhaith liom mo fhreagra a thabhairt dóibh anois.
My Department engages on an ongoing basis with officials in the Department of Justice and Equality in respect of education issues arising from the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees. In addition, Tusla Education Support Service, TESS, which is under the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, assists with school enrolment and attendance for children residing in accommodation centres.
The International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, formerly RIA, of the Department of Justice and Equality has sourced temporary accommodation in Tracey's Hotel, Carrickmacross, since mid-September. Some families with children of schoolgoing age have been accommodated in this location while the Department of Justice and Equality seeks more permanent accommodation for them in a dedicated accommodation centre under the system known as direct provision.
The priority for newly arrived applicants for international protection is to address their immediate needs, apply for accommodation, make an application for international protection, apply for a PPSN to ensure access to weekly payments from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, and ensure that they are linked with the HSE for medical care.
In line with the provisions of the EU directive, every effort is made to enrol children of international protection applicants who are residing in accommodation under contract to the Department of Justice and Equality, including emergency accommodation, in local schools as soon as possible. Schools enrol pupils in accordance with their respective enrolment policies. Following the receipt of an application for a school place each school must advise of the outcome of each application in writing.
In instances where difficulties arise in sourcing school places locally, the assistance and support of Tusla Education Support Service is sought, similar to the assistance given to all other families who reside in the community. TESS is responsible for assisting with school enrolment and attendance. Where necessary, school transport is arranged under the school transport scheme operated by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills.
Every effort is made to ensure that all children of schoolgoing age receive an education at the earliest possible date. I understand TESS is working with the families concerned to ensure that arrangements are being made for school enrolments for the children in the accommodation centre in Carrickmacross.
To update the Deputies, my Department has seconded an official to the Department of Justice and Equality to deal with any queries from schools that are enrolling children from accommodation centres. This official is also available to advise schools on specific queries on the range of supports available to schools and how to access supports. I want to further update the Deputies on this matter. Officials had contact from a post-primary principal earlier today who is happy to offer school places to the three post-primary age children. We are still waiting on feedback from the primary school principal but there is confidence that a sufficient number of places will be available in the local area for all the primary school children.
I take the point raised by the Deputies that there is a collective responsibility for this matter. While an official has been seconded from my Department to deal with it, the Department of Justice and Equality, Tusla and all of us are collectively responsible for it. If there are better ways to move more quickly on it, we would be interested in working as efficiently as possible in that regard. There is a requirement in a European directive to provide education within three months of arrival. I am of the opinion, having attended various camps in Jordan in recent years, that it is important to get as early an intervention as possible in terms of providing education.
Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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It is a given that access to education and intervention is vitally important, particularly for vulnerable groups. While I accept that some measures have begun to be put in place since this news broke on Monday, we still do not know when the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Education and Skills became aware of it. They should have been aware of it. It should not have taken two months for this matter to come to their attention. Has the Department of Education and Skills been in contact with the families? One mother said on a radio station on Monday that she was told both by the direct provision centre and the schools that they had to wait. The Minister might let us know the position on that. Is he aware of any other children in any of the direct provision centres across the country or any of the emergency centres who are waiting for school places? Also, Tusla is responsible for any child who is absent from school and not engaging with educational services. There are questions to be asked about Tusla's engagement with this matter.
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire. Tá a lán ceisteanna fós le freagairt. I thank the Minister for his answer. He is correct when he states that the different Departments are responsible but there does not appear to be anyone who has taken charge of it. That is what happened in respect of this Topical Issue matter. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs first looked at it. The Department of Justice and Equality then looked at it and now the Minister was left with responsibility for it. We need to ensure that these people who are coming here with their families are provided with a pathway for the provision of education for their children.
I had the opportunity yesterday to speak to people from my constituency who are operating a community sponsorship initiative for refugees coming into the country who have already been granted international protection. They are providing a pathway for those families and their children. There is a responsibility on the State to provide a similar pathway to ensure that when people arrive here they are not left to their own devices or expected to look for schools themselves when they have a language barrier. We need to ensure that we accept the responsibility we have for the children in the same way as we have a responsibility for our own children.
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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To continue on from where my colleague left off, it seems there is no collaboration on this Topical Issue matter, even in terms of trying to get it organised here this evening. That has played out in terms of what has happened in Monaghan. We are an open nation, and we are welcoming, but we have to lead from the top. We need to ensure that all Departments are working together and that there is this wraparound service.
The Minister spoke about the Tusla education support service, TESS. TESS is a pilot service. It is not up and running across the country. It is only being rolled out to 2,000 schools. The Minister is looking for the intervention of TESS but we can hardly get that service in many schools that need it. There is a very long waiting list for it to be rolled out. We need to ensure that we do not put families into temporary accommodation. We need to ensure also that there is a wraparound service for all those families, particularly in terms of early years education. In terms of the children who need to engage in the ECCE scheme, it is not just the Department of Education and Skills that has a role. It is about ensuring that the younger children have the same opportunities.
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I take this issue in the vein in which is has been raised, which is a genuine call for more streamlining of communication in the first instance. When this question was presented to me today I was happy to take it because it is to do with education and young people. I reiterate that there is a collective responsibility but we want to get the intervention at an early stage also. One of the Deputies asked if the reason for this was because it was temporary accommodation. The problem was created because it was temporary accommodation but if there are actions we can take at an earlier stage or new ways of doing it we will look at them. We provide home tuition in some instances. Perhaps there is something we can do in that space.
I am prepared to work with my colleagues across the floor on this issue. Separate to it being raised here tonight and in the media on Monday, I asked my officials last week to arrange for me to go to one of the direct provision centres and meet with families and the young people. I am more than happy to do that and a date has been arranged to do so before Christmas. I am open to suggestions on this matter. I have a very close working relationship with my colleagues, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Stanton, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan. We will continue to keep this matter on the radar.
At a major camp in Jordan that I went to, the families were all talking about the importance of education. They had to offer it primarily through their own families but they were emphasising its importance. Education is not lost on anybody in this country. We must ensure that we act where rights are not being respected.