Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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133. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps he is taking to take children out of the direct provision system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40439/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Children who arrive into the State seeking International Protection are generally part of a family group or they arrive as unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors are not accommodated in our accommodation services. Unaccommodated minors always go into the care of Tusla. Tusla has a dedicated Separated Children Seeking Asylum (SCSA) Team, which has developed expertise through Ireland’s participation in international protection programmes, and through caring for unaccompanied minors who arrive unannounced at Irish ports.

Regarding children in family groups, it is the policy of my Department to prioritise the movement of families in congregated accommodation settings to some form of own door accommodation in the shortest time possible, notwithstanding the pressures on the International Protection Accommodation Service's accommodation portfolio.

Services for protection applicants, including their children are mainstreamed. As such children residing in accommodation centres have access to the same services as all other children in the State.

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains a commitment to ending the Direct Provision system and replacing it with a new International Protection accommodation policy, centred on a not-for-profit approach. The Government has also committed to the development of a White Paper which will set out how this new system will be structured and the steps to achieving it.

My Department is currently developing the White Paper which will set out options, together with the recommended direction, for the new model of accommodation and services for International Protection applicants and the transitional processes needed to implement the model.