Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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162. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress that is being made with the pledge to end direct provision; the way this will be achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55093/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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A staff team has been established in my Department to lead the transition to the new model and has developed a detailed implementation plan.

I have appointed a Programme Board, including independent members, to oversee the transition. . I have also recently announced the membership of the three-person External Advisory Group to monitor and report independently on the progress of the reforms.

Working with the Housing Agency, my Department has begun to acquire the accommodation needed for Phase Two - that is, after people have completed their initial four-months in a Reception and Integration Centre and move into the community.

An allocation key to determine the spread of this accommodation across all counties has been agreed by Local Authorities.

Working with the housing experts on the Programme Board, my Department is preparing advice on the optimal ownership model for the accommodation, as well as on the funding model to enable Approved Housing Bodies and other not-for-profit organisations to act as our delivery partners for the accommodation and support elements of the new system.

Policy on International Protection Support Payments is being developed in consultation with the Department of Social Protection.

My Department has also begun to develop the integration policy for the new model, based on the principle of 'integration from day one' set out in the White Paper.

It will take time to end Direct Provision and replace it with a new and very different system of accommodation and supports - grounded in human rights and delivered on a not-for-profit basis. Our work to do this has begun. We are making good progress and anticipate starting to move people out of Direct Provision into accommodation sourced in accordance with the new model early next year.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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163. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total cost of a direct provision centre (details supplied) to his Department for each year in tabular form. [55146/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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It is my Department’s policy not to publish details of individual contract values for the two most recent complete calendar years. Contract values for the period from 2000 to 2018 are available on the IPAS website, www.gov.ie/en/publication/3eef8-contract-values/.

The following table gives contract values on an annual basis for the direct provision accommodation centre to which the Deputy refers for the period from 2013 to 2018.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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164. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the occupancy of a provision centre (details supplied) on 1 September in each year from 2016 to 2021, by single persons, adults with children and children. [55147/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My officials are currently collating the requested figures for the centre concerned. To ensure complete accuracy, this requires further time than allowed for the parliamentary question. Full details will be supplied to the Deputy shortly.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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165. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will end the practice of forcing two or three adults to share small bedrooms in direct provision centres such as at a centre (details supplied); and if he has plans to end the forced overcrowding of single persons in direct provision centres, particularly in view of the current alarming rise in Covid-19 infection rates. [55148/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In regard to Covid-19 case numbers, together with the HSE, the Department has put in place a range of measures in all of the Accommodation Centres to address any cases of Covid-19 if or when they arise. These measures include provision for self-isolation facilities in Centres and a number of offsite self-isolation centres around the State. In all matters related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department works collaboratively with the HSE to implement their public health advice.

The established procedure across all centres where a person is suspected of having the virus or is confirmed as having the virus, is that, where advised by Public Health, they are moved to a dedicated offsite self-isolation facility. Supports are available for the duration of their period of isolation until such time as the HSE considers that they can safely return to their centre.

The services provided by IPAS are, of course, demand-led and, as demand is currently running higher than predicted, these arrangements are being kept under daily review by my officials to ensure that there is sufficient accommodation to house new arrivals in the State seeking international protection.

As the Deputy is aware, this Government has highlighted the issues with the current system of ‘direct provision’, and the Programme for Governmenthas pledged to replace it with a new system centred on a not-for-profit approach, underpinned by the principles of human rights and the integration of applicants into Irish society from the point of arrival in Ireland. Under the White Paper, there will be a particular focus on children’s rights and on ensuring dignity, privacy and respect for all applicants and their families. The White Paper also contains a commitment to phase out the use of congregated settings by December 2024, when the new system is scheduled to be fully rolled out.

My Department will shortly publish a tender to procure additional accommodation for families, couples and single people to enable a move away from reliance on emergency accommodation and to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet demand, pending the full implementation of the White Paper. Decisions about existing centres will be made based on the Department’s contractual commitments, capacity across the accommodation network, progress in rolling out the new model and the need to ensure that the Department meets its legal and moral obligations to provide accommodation to people who need it while their applications for international protection are being determined.