Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of recent HIQA inspections of IPAS-contracted properties. [56573/22]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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Following on from the Minister's previous reply, my question is in regard to what will be the extent of the HIQA inspections that are to be carried out before Christmas and how many of the centres will be inspected. In the meantime, I want to know what staff are Garda vetted, whether they have any child protection training and whether there have been reports of assaults in those places. Should we be concerned?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware following our earlier discussions, we are working with HIQA to implement the commitment for HIQA to monitor International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, centres against national standards adopted in 2019 and in effect since the beginning of 2021. Planning is well advanced on this process. Detailed work is being undertaken by my Department, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, to provide the necessary legal basis for HIQA's monitoring role. The aim is that this will be done by means of regulation by statutory instrument.

As part of the development of the inspection process, HIQA established an advisory group comprising members from my Department and other stakeholder organisations. My Department holds monthly meetings with HIQA to advance this project.

Ahead of commencing inspections of all permanent centres, HIQA will conduct a series of pilot inspections and it is envisaged that these pilot inspections will take place before the end of the year. As I said, early next year we will be looking for the overall process of inspections to be rolled out. IPAS accommodation centres are currently subject to regular unannounced inspections both by departmental officials and by the independent inspectorate company that I spoke about earlier.

People working in international protection accommodation would require to be Garda vetted because many of these centres would have children present.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for the reply but the devil is in the detail. Does the Minister know how many pilot schemes will be rolled out before Christmas? I know the Minister mentioned unannounced inspections but when does he propose that all of the centres, which are in effect permanent, will be subject to regular HIQA inspections or when will they all have been inspected? The Minister said the staff would be required to be Garda vetted but are those working there actually Garda vetted? Is the Minister saying that all the staff currently there are Garda vetted?

The report on the accommodation crisis prepared by the Irish Refugee Council states that health, child safety and child protection are paramount. This is one of the greatest concerns, especially given the week we have had, and the protection of children is very important. How many inspectors are there? Primarily, I want to nail down the exact number of pilot schemes and find out when all centres will have been inspected. Can the Minister guarantee that all of the staff are vetted?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My understanding is that all staff working in centres should be Garda vetted but I will come back to the Deputy on that because I do not want to say something on the record that I cannot 100% stand over. We do not know how many HIQA pilot inspections are planned to take place. Again, these pilot inspections are to give HIQA an understanding, once it rolls out the full scheme of inspections in the new year, of how they will work and how they will operationalise. Again, I can come back to the Deputy with further information on that point.

All centres that exist at the moment are inspected twice a year by officials from my Department and once a year by the inspectorate company, QTS. These are a mix of announced and unannounced visits, and it is particularly important that we have those unannounced visits to ensure that, at all times, standards are as they should be.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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The particular concern is about minors, young people and those who are of disputed age, some of whom may have serious medical and physical conditions. Has the Minister been notified about assaults of any type in any of the centres or has that come to his attention? Are all unaccompanied minors given a social worker or placed in local authority care when they are in the centres? The staff should be Garda vetted, and the Minister will come back to me in that regard. Do any of the staff receive child protection training in advance of or concurrent with Garda vetting?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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There have been assaults in international protection centres and when there is an assault, my Department would be notified. Obviously, it is initially a matter for the Garda. If someone under the age of 18 is involved, either as a victim or a perpetrator, then Tusla would be involved as well.

In terms of the question about child protection, again, it is my understanding that child protection training is part of the necessary processes that are undertaken. Certainly, centre managers would require child protection training in terms of the level of engagement they have with families. Again, I am on my feet in the House now but I can come back to the Deputy with the detail in terms of an assurance on Garda vetting and with clarity in terms of which members of staff receive the child protection training.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate that was not the initial question.