Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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135. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will commit to real engagement and consultations with local people before refugees and asylum seekers are placed in their community; and if he will develop a community dividend for communities to ensure that enough doctors, school places, transportation facilities, housing units and supports are in place when the population is increased significantly. [59593/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy, before the opening of any facility my Department engages with local representatives to provide information as soon as possible following the agreement of terms.

While effort is made to notify public representatives and State agencies in advance of occupying a building, the emergency nature of the response required means that advance communications are not as comprehensive or as early as one would like.

Due to the sheer scale of the present crisis, the emergency accommodation of those seeking refuge must be occupied at a faster timeline than in more normal times.

These constraints limit the time window for advance consultation. I am cognisant of the importance of improved information and my Department is currently working to secure additional resources for improving advance communications for elected representatives, local authorities and local communities in this regard.

With respect to a community dividend for communities to ensure that enough services are in place following the opening of new centres, the services offered by the State to provide for the increase are funded and managed by a range of Government Departments and agencies, on a whole of Government basis, and not solely by this Department.

State agencies work together to provide the following services for people arriving in the country:

- the HSE provides mainstreamed health services to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) residents and to beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs).

- the Department of Social Protection (DSP) pays a weekly personal allowance to each international protection applicants and covers any exceptional needs and provides for welfare payments to BOTPs.

- PPSNs are provided through DSP and international protection (IP) applicants are eligible to work six months following their arrival in Ireland. BOTPs have a right to work on arrival.

- the Department of Education provides school places in primary and post-primary schools for migrant children and they have access to the free pre-school scheme, the Early Childhood Care and Education programme.

- my Department offers accommodation and related support services and also provides access to the free Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme for eligible children aged between 2 years 8 months and 5 years 6 months.

Decisions on funding are matters for the Departments and Agencies involved.