Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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464. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost, broken into current and capital, of ending direct provision. [49884/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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465. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the updated estimated cost, broken into current and capital, of ending direct provision, as per Chapter 10 of A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service. [49885/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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467. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost, broken into current and capital, of providing a State-owned and operated phase 1 accommodation unit for 50, 100, 250 and 500 international protection applicants/asylum seekers respectively. [49887/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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468. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost, broken into current and capital, of providing a State-owned and operated phase 2 accommodation unit for 50, 100, 250 and 500 international protection applicants/asylum seekers respectively. [49888/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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469. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth recognising that 37 properties were purchased in 2022 to commence the movement of IPAS residents into Phase 2 accommodation, what the estimated additional cost is of completing the movement of IPAS residents into Phase 2 accommodation, with a breakdown identifying the capital, i.e., all-in costs of purchasing, refurbishing or constructing units costs and the current costs including income supports (netting off any savings that may be secured from moving individuals out of the existing direct provision model). [49889/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 464, 465, 467, 468 and 469 together.

There are currently over 25,000 persons in IPAS accommodation. Since the beginning of 2023 to date, over 9,700 people have arrived seeking International Protection, many of whom have been accommodated by IPAS. This is addition to 13,651 new arrivals in 2022. In this context, there is a recognition that the underlying assumptions of the White Paper need to be re-examined, as it was originally based on 3,500 new arrivals each year. This review process is currently underway. As part of this process, a full economic review of estimated costs for the White Paper is being undertaken. This expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The Department has contracted consultants to provide expertise in this area.

Notwithstanding the acute accommodation pressures faced by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) in accommodating International Protection applicant’s ,significant work has continued to deliver on the commitments made in the White Paper under the three core strands – Accommodation, Integration and Supports.

Accommodation

• There has been a focus on increasing the state owned accommodation capacity including progressing the buying of pre-existing buildings and advancing the planning process for the construction of purpose built centres.
• Work has also been carried out to deliver some accommodation in the community with thirty-seven properties purchased to date at a cost of €9.2m. Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) have been commissioned to operationalise these properties, and will be prioritised to accommodate vulnerable IP applicants. The properties will be delivered on a phased basis over the next number of months. DCEDIY, the Housing Agency and the AHBS are currently working together to develop and agree the refurbishment and operationalise costs for the properties.
• A dedicated 8 bed unit for victims of trafficking (VOT) in accordance with White Paper recommendations has been established. The VOT unit is currently being staffed and residents are being identified for the unit.
• The Department is progressing the introduction of independent monitoring of IPAS centres by HIQA, providing greater confidence on the standards being applied in existing IP accommodation.

• In order to improve the ability to integrate Government has granted International Protection applicants the right to work after six months, the right to apply for a driving licence, and access to bank accounts.
• A new local integration model has been developed in collaboration with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the City and County Management Authority (CCMA) and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). The model centres on a new national network of Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs), funded by DCEDIY, to be located in each local authority, to better help International Protection applicants engage with existing local services. The cost per Local Authority for the LAITS is €330,000. This includes funding for one Integration Support Coordinator, two Integration Support Workers and one Administrative supports.Recruitment for the LAITs is underway by individual Local Authorities with some already having made appointments. A Working Group, chaired by the LGMA, has been established to develop the detailed functions of the LAITs.
• An international Protection Integration Fund was launched in 2022, which aims to enable community based organisations across Ireland to play a greater role in supporting the integration of International Protection applicants at local and national level. Over €2.8m in funding have been awarded to 137 organisations since the fund was launched in in 2022.

• A vulnerability assessment process has been available to all IP applicant arrivals since February 2021. For the period from 1st February 2021 to 1st November 2023, 4,050 vulnerability assessments have been undertaken. This process is enabling IPAS to identify IP applicants with specified needs and to refer such persons, as necessary, to the HSE where those needs involve mental or physical health issues.
• A new funding framework to support the Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC) in further developing, enhancing and expanding the provision of their support services to children, young people and their families in International Protection accommodation settings was launched in 2023. €1.3m has been provided under this new fund. Examples of initiatives funded include projects aimed at Community Integration, Supports for Parents, Emergency Accommodation and Mental Health. This has enabled families and children in International Protection settings to engage with their local community through for music and sports programmes, well-being programmes and cultural community exchange events.
• A customer service team was established in IPAS in 2021 which runs clinics, often in cooperation with NGO partners, for applicants in newly established centres or in centres with higher than average complaints rates.
• NGOs have been contracted to provide in-centre supports to IP applicants. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), for instance, has been contracted to provide orientation and social supports to IP applicants at the Citywest Transit Hub and to link them with mainstream services.
• The REALT network of language supports for Ukrainian children has been extended to provide support to children in International Protection in terms of securing school places and additional supports.
• Under the European Social Fund 2021-2027 funding has been allocated the DCEDIY to recruit dedicated practitioners to support families living in IPAS accommodation. Adopting a multiagency, multidisciplinary approach, these practitioners will provide a standardised pathway for family support within each of the 17 Tusla areas. Supports will vary depending on the needs of each individual family but may consist of delivering individualised parenting programmes and family support clinics or facilitating the integration of families by building connections with Family Resource Centres in the locality.
• €4.7m in funding has been provided in the 2024 budget for a child payment for families in International Protection. Work is now ongoing to secure sanction for the payment as it is a new development measure.