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APPLICANTS FOR INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION will spend no more than four months in six state non-profit centers before moving into their own accommodation under a new model aimed at ending the institutionalized Direct Provision system by 2024.
The Government White Paper published today sets out measures to reform the controversial privatized system, including the construction of state accommodation centers.
The current for-profit system has been repeatedly criticized since its establishment in 1999.
According to the plans published today by Minister Roderic O’Gorman, the Government intends to establish a new support service for international protection that will be operational in 2024 and will be delivered by the Department of Children, Equality, Integration and Youth .
Phase One of the plan consists of identifying locations for new state reception and integration centers comprised of own-door accommodation that will spread throughout the country.
Comprehensive services must be operational from the moment a person submits their application for international protection with specific vulnerabilities identified at all times.
The emphasis, according to the Government’s plan, is on a person-centered approach to helping people integrate into local communities.
Minister of Integration Roderic O’Gorman
Source: RollingNews.ie
The roadmap for phasing out Ireland’s network of private contracts, overcrowded accommodation and shared living spaces will be followed with ‘a mix of non-profit housing models’.
After four months in a state-owned facility, applicants must be transferred to their own accommodation using a combination of urban renewal plans and community accommodation, but the vast majority of people move to accommodation provided by approved housing agencies.
According to Phase Two of the plan, all accommodations will be independent houses or apartments for families with their own doors.
Single people are intended to stay in private rooms or in their own rooms.
A distribution scheme is currently being agreed with the executive directors of the local authorities to deliver this plan.
The Government also plans to use room rental schemes to provide some of the accommodation for singles, while private rentals will be used to secure accommodation for families “as needed”.
Phase one is estimated to cost 281 million euros, while phase two will cost 391 million euros.
The government’s plan is based on estimates of 3,500 people requesting international protection annually.
The Department intends to build six state-owned accommodation centers with a capacity of 330 people. One of these centers is planned to be in Dublin, the rest will spread throughout the country.
However, the document notes that “executing what will be a large capital program on time will be challenging and will require active management.
“Delays or delays in the execution of important parts of the program could delay the dismantling of [Direct Provision] centers “.
Additionally, the White Paper sets out supports for individuals throughout their application, including education, health care, support for children, and victims of domestic violence.
This includes supports for parenting and child development services, vulnerability assessments that the State has not implemented despite violating EU law since 2018, and “special shelter accommodation” for victims of sexual violence and trafficking.
Interagency task forces are scheduled to be established in each county to ensure integration, according to the White Paper.
The plan also includes expanding the powers of the Offices of the Ombudsman and Children’s Ombudsman to include complaints related to the services provided to residents of accommodation centers.
The Government’s ambitious plan to end direct provision over the next three years comes after the publication of a report by an Advisory Group of Experts chaired by the former Secretary General of the European Commission, Dr. Catherine Day.
The Report of the Day made a series of sweeping recommendations, including a one-time grant for people who have lived in the current system for more than two years. It also recommended increasing access to the labor market and self-employment.
Dr. Day said at the time that the current direct supply system is “reactive” and said that the people who live in the system “bear the consequences” of its failures.
A “whole-of-government approach” is needed to replace the system, he said, adding that “continuous political oversight” was required to implement any new system.
The Direct Provision system has been repeatedly criticized by migrant rights groups due to the amount of time that people spend in the centers while their asylum applications or appeals are processed, the conditions of the centers and the psychological effects on those who they live in these centers.
More than € 1 billion has been paid to companies and private contractors since the system was established.
Today’s White Paper also includes a section from the Department of Justice and Equality on processing times for asylum applications.
This is likely to be disappointing considering that one of the key elements in Direct Provision reform is the time people spend on the system.
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The White Paper states that “the litigious nature of international protection and immigration systems generally presents ongoing challenges.
“While it is recognized that applicants have the right to initiate judicial review proceedings in court, this increases the time they remain in the system.”
It also states that the Justice Department will not begin a review of progress made to reduce delays and improve processing times until October 2022.
A spokesperson for the Department said additional resources have been secured for 2021 and detailed work is underway including a review of processes from start to finish.
“When this first phase of work has been carried out, it will allow a more detailed set of milestones to be established,” the spokesperson said.
In October, Minister Roderic O’Gorman said that any new asylum system will take time to implement and said it was “important that we immediately begin to create a more humane system, rooted in human rights.”
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