Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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921. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the preparatory work been carried out by her Department in relation to the national standards for accommodation offered to persons in the protection process; the preliminary assessments of centres that have been carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21607/20]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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922. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the national standards on accommodation offered to persons in the protection process apply to existing provider contracts made before January 2021; and if not, if they will be a legal requirement only for new or renewed contracts after that time. [21608/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 921 and 922 together.

In August 2019, the new National Standards for accommodation centres were published. These Standards were developed through an Advisory Group including representatives from UNHCR Ireland and the NGO sector.

The Standards will come into force in January 2021, and will address a broad range of themes including accommodation; food and catering; individual, community and family life; health and wellbeing; governance; and meeting the special reception needs of applicants. These reforms build on the work already done in the McMahon Report (2015) and meet the requirements of the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive (Directive 2013/33/EU), which we voluntarily opted into in June 2018.

The Standards will be legally binding and subject to monitoring by January 2021. In the interim, contractors will be expected to carry out any mobilisation works required to meet the Standards.

The on-going public procurement process for accommodation was also designed to ensure that all centres will adhere to the National Standards. Any tender for the provision of accommodation centre services must demonstrate that it will meet the requirements of the Standards. This requirement applies to the provision of new centres and to any renewal of a contract with a current provider.

Responsibility for the accommodation of international protection applicants and the implementation of the National Standards for accommodation will shortly transfer to my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration. Minister O'Gorman will progress these matters accordingly, once the Transfer of Functions is completed.