Written answers

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Department of Justice and Equality

Refugee Resettlement Programme

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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103. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when and the way in which post-September 2017 targets will be set at an Irish level and at the European level with regard to the refugee protection programme. [5527/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The two Council Decisions on Relocation which were adopted in September 2015, and which Ireland voluntarily opted-into, provide for the relocation from Italy and Greece of a total of 160,000 persons in need of international protection over a 2 year period. The Council Conclusions on Resettlement agreed in July 2015 provide for the resettlement of 20,000 persons also over a two year period. To date, the European Commission, which has the right of initiative, has not issued a proposal to amend the time frames as set out in the Relocation Decisions and have not brought forward any further emergency proposals.

The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government Decision on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of mass migration from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. Under this programme, the Government has pledged to accept a total of 4,000 persons into the State, 2,622 through the EU relocation mechanism established by two EU Council Decisions in 2015 to assist Italy and Greece, 1,040 (519 by the end of 2016 and the remainder in 2017) under the UNHCR-led refugee resettlement programme currently focussed on resettling refugees from Lebanon, and the balance through a variety of mechanisms. Some elements of this intake, such as the relocation strand, come with a time limit of two years and other elements are not time limited.

In a further gesture of humanitarian assistance towards some of the most vulnerable children caught up in the migration crisis and following the passing of an All-Party Motion in the Dáil, the Government has committed to taking up to 200 unaccompanied minors from France who were previously resident in the migrant camp at Calais. These initiatives therefore leave just a small residual balance to be allocated from the Government decision to take up to 4,000 persons.

The Deputy may wish to note that under the relevant EU Council Decisions the relocation strand of the IRPP is composed of three elements:

- an intake from Greece of 1,089 asylum seekers

- an intake from Italy of 623 asylum seekers and

- an allocation of 910 asylum seekers which has not yet been assigned to either Italy or Greece.

In terms of the unallocated portion contained in the second Council Decision (2015/1601) Ireland cannot access this component until a further Decision is taken at EU level.

The Deputy may be aware that the European Commission has brought forward a series of proposals aimed at reforming the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), including a solidarity measure for the benefit of front-line Member States. These proposals are at an early stage in the negotiation process by Member States and are similarly under discussion by the European Parliament.

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