Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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649.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline his plans and provide a timeline for the closure of Direct Provision accommodation by the end of 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25215/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In February 2021 A White Paper to End Direct Provision and establish a new International Protection Service was published. The paper set out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection (IP) in Ireland and contains three core themes – accommodation, integration and supports. There is a legal obligation on the state to meet the requirements under the EU Recast Reception Conditions Directive to provide accommodation to all who request it.

In 2022 and 2023 Ireland experienced unprecedented numbers of new IP arrivals with over 26,900. To put this in context the total number of applications received in 2022 and 2023 (26,900) is greater than the total received over the preceding eight year period, 2013-2021 (23,369). These very significant arrival numbers have continued in the first five months of 2024, with 8501 new people seeking accommodation from the state up to the 29th May 2024.

Due the significant increase in arrivals in 2022 and 2023 there was a recognition that the underlying assumptions on which the White Paper was based required re-assessment, as the assumptions underpinning it were based on 3500 new arrivals each year. A review of the timelines and deliverables was initiated.

The review has resulted in the development of a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for IP applicants, which Government approved on the 27th March 2024. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure the State will always be able to meet its international commitments. The review highlighted the need to significantly increase the ambition in relation to the overall capacity of the system through a number of new delivery streams.

The reforms will see a move away from full reliance on private providers and towards a core of State-owned accommodation, delivering 14,000 State-owned beds by 2028 – quadruple the previous commitment under the White Paper. This will be supplemented, as required, by high standard commercial providers.

Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the following multi-strand approach:

1. Use of State land for prefabricated and modular units

2. Conversion of commercial buildings

3. Targeted purchase of medium and larger turnkey properties

4. Design and build of new Reception and Integration Centres

5. Upgrading of IPAS Centres

The multi-strand approach focuses on both increasing State owned permanent capacity, and the upgrading of additional contingency accommodation, developed to specific national standards, to build an effective system to meet the new realities of increasing need while enabling the State to discharge its duty to meet the material reception conditions of IP Applicants, according to the guiding principles of the White Paper.

In order to deal with the demand led nature of the system, the commissioning of emergency commercial accommodation will continue to be a feature in the short to medium term. This accommodation will be contracted on shorter-term basis and if application numbers drop, can be decommissioned as contracts expire. It is planned that as new State owned and permanent commercial accommodation comes on stream the use of this emergency accommodation will reduce.

Once sufficient State owned accommodation has been delivered over the coming years, and emergency accommodation reduced substantially, the Government may, at that point, seek to reduce further the proportion of remaining permanent accommodation delivered by commercial providers and move to a fully or predominately State owned system.

Accommodation offering breakdown by 2028:

• Dedicated accommodation units for vulnerable people are being established including a unit for victims of trafficking (VOT);
• Independent monitoring of IPAS centre standards by HIQA has been introduced which will provid greater confidence on the standards being applied in existing IPAS accommodation;
• International Protection Child Payment (IPCP) has been sanctioned. This payment will contribute towards the cost of raising a child, protect against child poverty, and enable participation in Irish society. The Department are currently engaging with DSP regarding the administering of this payment;
• Establishment of Local Authority Integration Teams at a county level. These teams will provide on-going support to International Protection (IP) Applicants, Programme Refugees and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) to better enable them to engage with existing services and ultimately to live independently in the community. 75% of personnel for the teams are now in place;
• The roll out of a national Integration Fund offering grants to civil society organisations for initiatives aimed at supporting the integration of International Protection applicants. There has been three rounds of funding since 2022 with over €5.3m awarded through this scheme.
• €1.3m in funding was provided in 2023 to the Children and Young People Services Committee (CYPSC) to further develop, enhance and expand the provision of their support services to families in the International Protection system. A further €1.5m in funding has been made available in 2024.
• Under the European Social Fund 2021-2027 funding has been allocated to recruit dedicated practitioners to support families living in IPAS accommodation.

The implementation of a new model of accommodation and supports for International Protection applicants is and will continue to be a key priority for this government.