Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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67. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on HIQA inspections of IPAS-contracted properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56884/22]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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What are the Minister's views on Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, inspections of international protection accommodation service, IPAS, contracted properties? Will he make a statement on the matter? The context of this question is the rapid expansion of such properties, given the massive increase in the number of international protection applicants and people arriving in the country under the temporary protection directive.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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A commitment was made in the programme for Government to replace the current system of accommodation for international protection applicants with a new model based on a not-for-profit approach. As the Deputy knows, I published a White Paper on Ending Direct Provision in February last year. This White Paper outlines the new model of accommodation, particularly the supports that will be offered to applicants for international protection. It was the result of an extensive engagement process across Government and State agencies and also with former residents of direct provision centres and NGOs active in that sector.

The Government intends for HIQA to monitor international protection accommodation service, IPAS, centres against national standards as part of transitional arrangements for moving to the new model. It is important that compliance with the national standards should be measured through on-site assessment. Independent monitoring is a vital tool for the adequate provision of accommodation supports. This will enable the Government to evaluate the current state of play critically and make informed improvements as needed. HIQA's experience and expertise in the area of inspections is extensive, which is why we chose it.

Ahead of commencing inspections of all permanent centres, HIQA will conduct a series of pilot inspections. It is envisaged that the first of these pilot inspections will take place before the end of this year. That will begin the process of HIQA building up its own expertise regarding how the inspection of international protection accommodation centres will begin. The full roll-out of the programme will start early next year.

We have engaged extensively with HIQA over the last years. It wants an additional budget and additional staff to undertake this additional role. That has been secured. We have also worked with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that there is a clear legal basis for these inspections to take place. In the meantime, as the Deputy knows, centres continue to be inspected three times each year, twice by officials from my Department and at least once by QTS, an independent inspection company.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. Our obligation to vulnerable people does not change. I know that some of these centres were temporary rather than permanent but some temporary centres have been in operation for four years. It is clear that many people will be in these centres for a long time. I was glad to hear the other day that people who are living in tents in the Tralee area will be moved. I am not sure whether they have been moved yet. There are different categories. People who are living in tents should be subject to inspection as well as those who are lucky enough to have own-door accommodation. I am glad that the roll-out will commence before the end of the year. It is welcome because, having met with the Irish Refugee Council, it had serious concerns about the most vulnerable international protection applicants, particularly children.

As the Minister knows, many of the properties would fail the most basic of standards. Adherence to the legally binding standards for permanent operators has not been perfect either. It has all been very ad hocto date. The experience in the United Kingdom gives rise to great concern.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Deputy indicated that many of the properties would fail standards. Let us see how these inspections proceed because, as I said, HIQA will be supporting the properties it engages with in terms of setting out what the standards. There is going to be a supportive process to ensure that properties we are providing meet the standards HIQA is monitoring.

The Deputy is correct that everyone in tented accommodation will be moved out of it in the next few weeks. That is something everyone will welcome. Some 310 people have been in tented accommodation over the past number of months. As well as the reassurance provided by having HIQA involved in an inspection process of the direct provision centres, I have also discussed bringing in additional inspection support with my Department. Perhaps we will beef up the independent inspectorate company operation we use at the moment in recognition of the fact that a much larger number of centres are being used for accommodation right now in the context of both international protection and Ukraine. We need to ensure that we have the capacity to get out to see what is happening and to proactively and responsibly engage in respect of issues that arise.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for the reply. We welcome the not-for-profit approach recommended in the White Paper and will give the Minister every support in trying to move to that model. There has obviously been much outsourcing of this accommodation. It is not ideal that some accommodation providers are listing categories of people they will take and categories of people they do not want to take. The Department should perhaps be stronger. In light of the amount of remuneration the providers are obtaining, their preconditions should be limited as much as possible. If there is going to be this level of outsourcing, albeit mostly temporarily, the State must ensure accountability and proper standards. Humane treatment makes this possible and it is to be hoped the inspections will ensure compliance as opposed to perhaps uncovering some uncomfortable truths that may be out there.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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That is why it is important that the Department has the capacity to proactively undertake inspections in respect of international protection accommodation and accommodation for people from Ukraine and to be able to react where a complaint is raised in order that we can go out and respond to it. That is why, as well as bringing in HIQA, I am also looking to further extend our inspection capacity. That can provide a degree of reassurance to everybody.

As the Deputy says, we have very significant reliance on the private sector now. That is a consequence of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent impact it has had on the numbers of international protection applicants arriving in Ireland. The Deputy is right that it is not ideal and not the situation we want to be in. One of the things I will be looking towards, especially on the international protection side of things, is increasing State capacity to accommodate people and increasing State accommodation where we have absolute control over the type of accommodation and the standards being delivered. We are particularly looking at the type of phase 1 reception and integration centres outlined in the White Paper.