Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the progress made with implementing the White Paper on ending direct provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15392/23]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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When the White Paper on ending direct provision was announced two years ago, it was broadly welcomed on all sides, although we would have preferred more State involvement in the reception and integration centres. Over the past year, however, the situation has deteriorated somewhat as a result of the war in Ukraine. Some of the difficulties of the past year could have been avoided if there had been more progress in respect of the capital projects. What progress has been made in implementing the White Paper?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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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.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for the reply. When the White Paper was announced initially, the theme behind it, according to the website, seemed to be about encouraging integration and supporting independent living. There were various plans to use housing bodies, NGOs, urban renewal schemes, hosting and tenancies. However, there has been practically no implementation of any of those plans apart from for Ukrainians. A sort of two-tier system has developed whereby the hosting and tenancies responses seem to be only for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. There have been unintended or unforeseen consequences with the closure of hotels and guesthouses. We heard yesterday that 37% of hotel beds in Kerry have been given over to either international protection or Ukrainians, with consequential difficulties experienced by business owners in the Kerry area. It seems there are many people making enormous profits out of the situation but they are picking and choosing.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Deputy has raised a number of issues that I will be unable to delve into fully in the time available. The three key elements of the White Paper related to accommodation, supports and integration. We are absolutely on the back foot in terms of the accommodation vision that was set out in the White Paper because of the changed circumstances. However, it is not accurate to say we have done nothing on supports and integration. We have brought in the community integration fund. We will be putting two integration officers into every local authority in the country this year. We have, for the first time, allowed international protection applicants to have a bank account and a driver's licence. These are very basic things that international protection applicants have been denied for too long. We have brought down the time period within which they can apply to work. This year, HIQA will be inspecting the international protection accommodation across the country. Most recently, the Department of Education has allowed the regional education and learning support teams, REALTs, that were initially only for Ukrainians, to work also with international protection applicant children. On supports and integration, we have advanced significant parts of the White Paper notwithstanding the recognition of the real challenges on the accommodation side.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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It seems we are back to square one in that there is an overreliance on for-profit accommodation providers. It seems those seeking international protection will continue in such accommodation for the foreseeable future. The danger is some elements will choose to exploit that. We seem to be back at square one. Has the Minister more or less completely abandoned the reception and integration centres that were a central part of the White Paper? Is that up for review? Is there a danger that approach will be abandoned? The White Paper stated those centres would accommodate applicants for the first four months or until a decision on their application was made and that efforts would be made to speed up the process. There does not seem to any talk of implementing those elements anymore, which is causing a difficulty.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I can tell the Deputy clearly that we have not abandoned the idea of reception and integration centres. They remain central to our response. My Department is engaging at the moment with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform about how we can advance the programme, whether through my Department purchasing large existing buildings and converting them into reception and integration centres or going for a scratch build, which will take longer. We are looking at the various fast construction techniques that exist at the moment to increase scale. Ensuring State-controlled accommodation where we have better control over the standards provided within those accommodations is central to the vision of dealing, in particular, with the larger numbers. Those phase 1 reception and integration centres remain central to the Government's response to the needs. With the increased numbers requiring accommodation, those centres are now needed even more. The White Paper provided for five or six reception and integration centres. In light of what I expect will be higher numbers of people seeking international protection in Ireland into the future, there will probably have to be a larger number of centres.