Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government has agreed that HIQA will monitor accommodation offered to people in the protection process for adherence to the National Standards, which were adopted by Government and published in 2019, and came into effect in 2021.

This agreement is time limited to the end of 2024, though it may be extended by agreement of my Department and the Minister for Health.

These National Standards were developed to meet minimum standards set out in the EASO Guidance on Reception Conditions, the Recast Reception Conditions Directive and the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations. The National Standards address a range of issues relating to accommodation; food and catering; individual, community and family life; health and wellbeing; governance; and meeting the special reception needs of applicants seeking international protection. Compliance with the National Standards is measured through on-site assessment.

HIQA's role will apply to all ‘permanent’ centres contracted by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS). Emergency centres are subject to separate contractual arrangements. All IPAS accommodation centres are already subject to regular unannounced inspections both by officials in IPAS and by an independent inspectorate company. Planning is near completion on this process, and HIQA has conducted pilot inspections in a small number of IPAS centres.

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.

When an accommodation centre is opened, a designated member of IPAS is responsible for monitoring the centre’s adherence with requirements of Children First legislation and national guidance. This member also ensures that centre managers are categorised as Designated Liaison Persons under Children First, and notifies them that they are required to make mandatory reports of concerns relating to children resident in their centres.

The designated member also monitors the centre’s adherence with requirements of the Children First legislation and national guidance. Where centres have not submitted their Child Safeguarding Statement to the Compliance Unit, they are asked by IPAS to submit the Statement and compliance letter to IPAS when complete.

IPAS has been engaging with TUSLA in respect of its report entitled ‘Child Safeguarding Statement Sector Compliance Review: International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS)’ which was developed by the Child Safeguarding Statement Compliance Unit (CSSU) in August 2023. Following significant engagement by the CSSU, all statements reviewed were deemed compliant. The report only considered statements from non-emergency settings. IPAS will continue to engage with TUSLA in respect its report’s findings and recommendations and to continuously promote and improve child safeguarding practices in all accommodation settings.