Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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289. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the work being undertaken to establish a refugee agency as per the White Paper recommendations on ending direct provision; if any persons have been interviewed for positions within the agency; when he expects the agency to be become operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60036/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the current system of accommodation for International Protection applicants and replace it with a new model that is based on a not for profit approach. As part of this process, I published A White Paper to end Direct Provision and to Establish a new International Protection Support Serviceon 26 February 2021. This paper sets out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection in Ireland and will replace the current system.

As part of the implementation process, the White Paper indicates that further analysis will be carried out, during the transition period, on what the optimal delivery vehicle for the new service might be in the longer term. Given the nature of the service, this will include consideration of the establishment of an independent body in the form of a new statutory agency of DCEDIY to provide the service.

A process to review timelines for implementation of the White Paper is currently underway and will take account of both the delays that have arisen as a consequence of the crisis in Ukraine and the impact of the substantial increase in the numbers seeking international protection. One element of future work will be to look in more detail at the question of whether or not an agency should be established to manage this area of work.