Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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301. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the roll-out of the promised changes to the provision of work permits for international protection applicants (details supplied); if these changes have been made operational to date; the legal basis underpinning these changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3333/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Access to the labour market for international protection applicants is provided for under the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations (S.I. No. 230 of 2018). These Regulations give effect to Directive 2013/33/EU of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection (recast), and came into operation from 30 June 2018. The Regulations provide access to the labour market for an applicant who has not received a first instance decision within 9 months of making an international protection application.

Following a review of access to the labour market for persons seeking international protection by my Department, in October 2020 the Government approved a number of changes in relation to access by applicants for international protection to the labour market, including a reduction in the waiting period for access to the labour market from 9 months to 6 months and an increase in the validity period of a labour market access permission from 6 months to 12 months. Work on the relevant legislative changes is at an advanced stage with a view to introducing the proposed changes shortly. The changes are being made in the context of amendments to the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations necessitated by the transfer of certain functions in those Regulations to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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302. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the actions she is taking on foot of recommendation 5.6 of the September 2020 Report of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process (details supplied); when the recommendation will be implemented in full; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3334/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I have established a high level Programme Board to assess the recommendations of the Catherine Day Advisory Group report and oversee their implementation, as relevant to my Department and as appropriate, including those related to access to bank accounts for international protection applicants. An Implementation Working Group has also been established in my Department to oversee the implementation of the report’s recommendations, as appropriate, which will report to the Programme Board.

In relation to recommendation 5.6 of the Advisory Group, my Department is actively engaged with the relevant stakeholders, including the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), with a view to achieving an early resolution to the issue of lack of access to bank accounts for some international protection applicants having due regard to both national and EU legislative requirements.