Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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83. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the review of projected timelines for the implementation of A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service; the person who is carrying out the review; the expected timeline for completion and publication of the revised implementation plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36525/22]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I ask my question in the context of the 21st year of direct provision and the Minister's commitment to ending it. Specifically, I am asking the Minister the status of the review of projected timelines for the implementation of A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service, the person who is carrying out the review, and the expected timeline for completion and publication of the revised implementation plan.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Since the publication of the White Paper to end direct provision, my Department has placed a significant focus on delivering the new model of accommodation and supports for international protection.

This has included the recruitment of a team dedicated to drive the implementation of the new programme; the establishment of governance structures in the form of a programme board and an external advisory committee; the development of an integration programme to support the principle of integration from day one; and the development a policy for the income support payment that applicants will receive in phase 2 and the launch in February of a dedicated website with updates on the progress in implementing the White Paper.

A new integration fund, offering grants to civil society organisations for projects supporting the integration of international protection applicants, is also currently in development and will be launched in the coming weeks.

However, as Deputies will appreciate, the war in Ukraine has had an unavoidable impact on timelines for implementation of the White Paper. Staff in my Department were temporarily diverted to fulfil Ireland's obligations, including members of the White Paper transition team. Upwards of 39,000 Ukrainian refugees have sought protection in Ireland under the temporary protection directive. As I stated earlier, my Department is currently providing accommodation to 28,000 of those.

A review of the projected timelines for the implementation of the White Paper is currently under way among senior officials in my Department and the International Protection Support Service transition team. This is a complex exercise. It will take account of the delays that have arisen as a consequence of the crisis in Ukraine and the significant increase in the number of international protection applicants.

In the coming weeks, I will be in a position to provide an update on the review's outcomes. However, it is currently planned that the transition team will move ahead to operationalise parts of the new system in late 2022. Key elements of the White Paper process, including strengthening supports at local level and involving NGOs more fully in the delivery of services, have become even more important as the number of new international protection applicants increases.

Notwithstanding the impact of the Ukraine crisis and the increase in international protection, IP, applicants, the implementation of the new model will continue to be a key priority for me and for my Department.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I realise the Minister is under extraordinary pressure given the crisis and the number of people who have come in from Ukraine. There are almost 40,000. It would be remiss of me not to point out that we have had numerous reports. We had the McMahon recommendations, as the Minister knows well, in 2015. We have had the Catherine Day report. We have various Ombudsman's reports and we have had the White Paper.

We are into the 22nd year of direct provision and now we have the completely unacceptable situation where we are distinguishing between different types of asylum seekers and people coming into our country. While we take in the Ukrainians - we all have thanked the Minister for that - with open arms, by comparison we have taken in a minute number of people from Afghanistan. I understand their number is even less than 700. The Afghan admission programme has a limit of 500 persons and they must be joining family.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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We have Ukrainians here under the temporary protection directive, we have international protection applicants and we have refugees accepted under the Irish refugee protection programme, IRPP. Sometimes these all get jumbled in.

I will speak to the IRPP programme. We have taken, at this stage, 3,900 Syrians under IRPP 1 and 2. There is an ongoing commitment to receive more Syrians in, as refugees. A group of 80 came in in May of this year and more will come in later on this year.

My Department has taken in approximately 600 Afghans under the IRPP. That is separate to the Afghans admissions programme about which the Deputy spoke, which is a scheme run by the Department of Justice. We have also, of course, taken in a number of Ethiopians as a result of the conflict there. These are small numbers in comparison to the scale of these crises but we bring these people in directly. They have full refugee status and all the protections that offers. When one compares what we have done to what other European countries have done, our numbers stand favourably.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I do not think so. The Minister cannot stand over the distinction in the way we are now treating applicants from different countries. We have simply created an unacceptable division.

I understand Comhlámh has written a detailed letter to the Minister. I would like to know if the Minister has responded to that. They wrote to the Minister on 20 June appealing to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to address new and long-standing human rights concerns and so on They echo the recommendation from the round table on the theme, "Migration in our Common Home", chaired by Social Justice Ireland, that the human rights first approach should be the blueprint for a reshaping of Ireland’s international protection system. As a result of the war in Ukraine, the Minister made an announcement on that same day as it turned out that we were on target for delivering the targets in the White Paper. Obviously, that has not happened.

I welcome the structures the Minister has set up, such as the transition team, but then some its members were taken away to deal with the Ukrainian issue. Are they now back? Can the Minister deal with the policy issue? What will we do? Are we to continue with a discriminatory system because I could not stand over that?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Our response to Ukraine is set out under EU law. Our response to them is set out in the temporary protection directive and we are working under that.

In terms of a discriminatory response, I visited Citywest the week before last. The treatment of Ukrainians as they arrive into the country is identical to the treatment of international protection applicants as they arrive into the country.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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No.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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It is. With all due respect, I was there. I saw what was happening on the ground.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Not in terms of entitlement.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In terms of what happens next, absolutely. However, that is not a determination of the Government. That is a determination of European law. With the greatest respect, it is what is set out in the temporary protection directive and we are operating to fulfil the temporary protection directive. That was a decision of European Union law but we continue to provide a full range of supports to people in the international protection system while we work to end direct provision.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I accept the Minister's restrictions but not his analysis.