Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue.

Applicants for international protection who are awaiting a decision on their application are offered accommodation by the International Protection Accommodation Services of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Those who accept such accommodation are provided with material reception conditions, including food and health services, together with other facilities and services designed to ensure their needs are met while seeking the protection of the State.

The Department of Social Protection administers the daily expenses allowance on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. This is paid to protection applicants who reside in or are on a waiting list for accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Services in order to meet incidental personal expenses. The rate of the allowance is €38.80 per week for an adult and €29.80 per week for a child. An increased rate of €113.80 per week for an adult applies where a person is unaccommodated and is on a waiting list for the provision of accommodation from the International Protection Accommodation Service.

In the week ending 5 October, there were approximately 13,100 claims awarded supporting approximately 20,600 people, including children.

In budget 2025, the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, secured Government approval for €8.4 million for the international protection child payment. Once introduced, the child payment will be a weekly payment of €32.31 to be paid in respect of each eligible child. The child payment is a key component of this budget’s focus on tackling child poverty in line with this Government’s ambition to eradicate child poverty. The child payment will support families in the international protection system, help reduce the high rates of poverty experienced by this group, promote social inclusion and facilitate improved integration.The introduction of an international protection child payment is a key commitment in the comprehensive accommodation strategy for international protection applicants.

As I mentioned, the White Paper to end direct provision and establish a new international protection support service was published in February 2020. The proposed international protection child payment for children in direct provision was contemplated in that paper. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, is leading the implementation of the recommendations contained in the White Paper. There is ongoing engagement between the Minister and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, on these matters.

A changing global situation necessitated a review of the implementation approach for the White Paper. The review has included inputs from the White Paper programme board and the external advisory group and has resulted in the development of a new comprehensive accommodation strategy for international protection applicants. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure that the State will always be able to meet its international commitments.

In March, the Government agreed a new comprehensive accommodation strategy for international protection applicants and Department of Social Protection officials are in ongoing engagement with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on this matter, both bilaterally and on a cross-government basis. There is ongoing engagement across Government on matters relating to international protection and the issue of an international protection child payment forms part of that engagement.