Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

114. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the model for resettlement being delivered by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme in the various counties in which it is operational in terms of the number of persons included in a programme; the staffing in terms of refugee resettlement workers and intercultural workers on a programme; and the length of time the programme is in place. [27290/18]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (OPMI) is the primary entity within my Department responsible for resettling refugees.  It has overseen the humanitarian resettlement programmes run by Ireland since they were established in 2000.  The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was subsequently established in September 2015 and is now part of the OPMI. 

The model for resettlement being used by the IRPP is identical to the model used by the OPMI in resettlements prior to the establishment of the IRPP.  This has three broad phases:

1. Overseas selection missions in collaboration with the UNHCR.

2. Placement of refugees in Emergency Response and Orientation Centres (EROCs) for the purposes of acclimatisation, orientation, etc.

3. Settlement in communities in local authority areas, coordinated by an inter-agency working group chaired by the relevant local authority, with refugees supported by an "implementing partner" procured by the local authority.  The funding for the implementing partner is provided by the IRPP and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), both under the auspices of my Department.  Local Authorities play a critical role in ensuring the success of each resettlement through the procuring of a suitable implementing partner with expertise in community integration and relevant supports.

The implementation of the resettlement programme requires a high level of coordination among service delivery agencies at both national and local level.  Service provision is mainstreamed and all the main statutory service providers such as Government departments, the HSE, Tusla and Local Authorities are represented on the national Taskforce which oversees delivery of the programme.  The programme is coordinated overall by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) but service provision remains the responsibility of the relevant statutory entity. 

Once resettled, the implementing partner provides appropriate services for a period of twelve to eighteen months to assist with integration.  The standard model is now focussed on an eighteen month period.

The following tables show the position in the counties in which resettlement programmes are underway.  As the Deputy will appreciate, the numbers reflect the fact that the programme is a work in progress, with further resettlements planned and personnel yet to be recruited.  Some counties will be resettling further refugees as their overall allocation is higher than their initial allocation. 

Persons Included in the Resettlement Programme:

Staffing Levels:

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

115. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if an evaluation of the Irish Refugee protection programme on the ground has been undertaken in the counties in which resettlement has taken place or is taking place; if not, if there are plans to do so; and if so, the way in which the work is procured. [27291/18]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) commenced in September 2015 with the first significant tranche of protection applicants only arriving in Ireland under in June 2016, due largely to delays in the establishment of hotspots and related arrangements overseas by the beneficiary States.  Large scale resettlements in counties therefore only began in March 2017. It is too early to undertake an evaluation of the current resettlement programme as the resettlement process has not been underway for sufficiently long and the Programme remains in a heavily operational phase. 

The IRPP constantly re-evaluates its operations and fine-tunes elements of the Programme as required. The Deputy should be aware that a provisional analysis of previous resettlements, prior to the establishment of the IRPP, is now underway. These resettlements employed the same model as currently used by the IRPP. This evaluation is in the early stages and is being undertaken on a contract basis. 

Once this process has been concluded, which should be by the end of 2018, a determination will be made on future steps including the scope of any further evaluation process and how this might best be undertaken.