Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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147. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he plans to fully implement HIQA inspections of IPAS-contracted properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15703/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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It is the Government's intention that the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will monitor permanent International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres against national standards as part of transitional arrangements for moving to the new model. It is important that compliance with the national standards should be measured through on-site assessment. Planning is well advanced on this process.

My Department has worked intensively with HIQA over the past two years to prepare for its monitoring role, and it is my intention that HIQA will commence inspections in 2023, once legislation is in place. The aim is that this will be done by means of regulation. In advance of the introduction of independent monitoring, IPAS has taken steps to support adherence to the National Standards through its contract arrangements with accommodation centres.

All properties selected under IPAS’ most recent tender process are required to be able to implement the National Standards. The National Standards meet the requirements of the relevant legislation – the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive which Ireland opted into in June 2018. These standards were adopted by Government in 2019 and have been in effect since the beginning of 2021.

It is important to note that there are inspections carried out under the current system. At present, all IPAS permanent accommodation centres are subject to three unannounced inspections per year. In 2022, inspections were carried out in each centre by an independent inspections company (QTS Ltd) and one by officials of the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS).

In 2022, all IPAS centres with the exception of 2 permanent centres had 2 inspections carried out. 5 centres had 3 inspections carried out. The third round of inspections were not carried out as the usual mid-year round of inspections were delayed due to the Department’s response to the Ukraine crisis.

A total of 110 inspections were completed by QTS Ltd. 59 of the above inspection reports have been published to date. Inspections cover a wide range of issues including fire safety, appropriate signage and information for residents, the condition of communal areas and sleeping quarters, the quality of food provided and adherence to hygiene and other health and safety requirements.