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ASYLUM SEEKERS LIVING in Direct Provision for more than two years by the end of 2020 should be allowed remain in Ireland for five years, a report drawn up by former Secretary General of the European Commission Dr Catherine Day has said.
An Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Day, has made a number of sweeping recommendations in its report, which is due to be published today, including a once-off grant to people who have lived in the current system for more than two years. It also recommends increasing access to the labour market.
Direct Provision was set up in 1999 in response to a sharp increase in the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland.
The system has been repeatedly criticised by migrant rights groups due to the length of time people remain in centres while their asylum applications or appeals are processed, the conditions of centres as well as the psychological effects on those living in these centres.
Over €1 billion has been paid to private contractors and businesses since the system was established.
It’s understood the report recommends that any person who has been living in Direct Provision for more than two years be granted leave-to-remain for a period of five years – pending security vetting.
There should be an option to renew this under a once-off case-processing approach which should be put in place by January in order to clear the current backlog of asylum applications.
Leave-to-remain is granted to people who have been refused refugee or subsidiary protection but are not deported for humanitarian or other reasons.
Day’s report was commissioned by former Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan. The Advisory Group first convened in November 2019 and presented its findings to Government in recent days.
The current system of accommodating asylum seekers should be ended and replaced by a three-stage system of State-run accommodation by mid-2023, the report recommends.
The new reception system outlined in the Advisory Group’s report would see accommodation provided to people at State-owned centres for three months, according to the report.
On-site services should also be available at this stage to assist applicants in accessing services such as health and social welfare.
After three months at a reception centre, applicants should be helped to move to own-door accommodation through a housing allowance model.
A payment similar to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) would also be made available as well as a weekly allowance under this new system. It’s understood Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has been briefed on the report, which calls for a mix of solutions to accommodate protection applicants.
If a person receives International Protection or permission to remain in Ireland they should be provided with support for up to 18 months afterwards, according to the report.
Application process
Dr Day’s report was drawn up in consultation with a number of NGOs, including Nasc, the Irish Refugee Council and Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) as well as current and retired senior civil servants.
The report calls for a “whole-of-government” response to replacing Direct Provision.
Dr Day previously described the current Direct Provision system as “unsatisfactory” and “largely reactive”.
In addition, “binding targets” for different stages of the protection process should be introduced – to come into effect from 2023 – including a six-month deadline for the International Protection Office to make a first instance decision and a six-month deadline for the International Protection Appeals Tribunal to make a decision on an appeal.
This should be supported by an increase in resources for the Legal Aid Board to ensure that protection applicants have access to legal advice and support from when they arrive in Ireland, it’s understood.
The report also makes provision for increasing access to the labour market by making permission to work available within 3 months of lodging an application for protection.
The report calls for the new system to be in place by mid-2023.
The report, which is not legally-binding, will now inform the Government’s White Paper for replacing the controversial system of accommodating asylum seekers in Ireland, which is due to be published by January.
Responsibility for administering Direct Provision accommodation transferred last week from the Department of Justice & Equality to the Department of Children & Youth Affairs, as part of an agreement under the Programme For Government.
The report and its recommendations will now be considered by a committee overseeing the drafting of the White Paper.
The Advisory Group’s report also makes a number of short-term recommendations while the current Direct Provision system remains in place.
Vulnerability assessments should be introduced as soon as possible and be offered to asylum seekers within 30 days of their arrival by 2023.
In addition, it is recommended that the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carry out inspections of Direct Provision centres around the country.
Inspections have previously been carried by the Department of Justice & Equality and private contractor QTS.
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The majority of asylum applications to Ireland are from countries categorised as safe, including South Africa, Albania, Georgia and Nigeria. Why does it take 10 years to determine the bona fides of asylum applicants from a safe countries? Why, after 10 years, when asylum is rejected are applicants then given leave to remain on compassionate grounds?
I’ve no problem reforming DP for legitimate asylum seekers from Syria, for example, but the current process is being used as a back door to circumvent proper immigration.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: Well then it’s just as well they didn’t ask you to do the report.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: Fintan stop telling the truth and giving your opinion. The vocal minority will be all over you as some sort of demon. I agree with you.
Genuine cases should be dealt with. I seek asylum because of persecution,threat to my life etc. I get to Ireland I am given a roof over my head, food, health care etc how is this not a great system for them compared to what the ran from .
@James Gannon: Be nice to see the report on how many the Irish Army taxied across the Med and at what cost to the taxpayer.
@Daniel Dunne: people like you only consider cost monetarily. You have zero concept on the cost of a lost life or the value of a rescued one. You and your ilk are to be pitied more than angered at. Comments like yours nearly always come from people who have never lifted a hand or offered a cent to someone in need and Usually are freeloaders off the state too.
@James Gannon: Maybe you should listen to President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana. He who makes it clear the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean is to the detriment of Africa, it’s impeding African development, it’s creating more problems that it solving and is only taking place to to allow European liberals to virtue signal.
Akufo-Addo made a famous speech with Emmanuel Macron on this topic which is widely available on youtube – maybe we should listen to these impressive African leaders about development instead of arrogantly pronouncing policy pronouncements that do more harm than good.
@James Gannon: is that the totality of your rebuttal to a valid statement and question ?
@James Gannon:
Why is it that as soon someone points out something that contradicts the left agenda, they are attacked?
I couldn’t agree more with what he says. False refugees (financial etc.) essentially block up the entire system. They are a problem for everyone including refugees that deserve genuine help.
The entire refugee system is archaic and should be adopted to suit the 21st century. As an example, undocumented arrivals are a significant issue and use up a lot of time. Establish a centralised center that the entire EU can tap into, where an applicant speaks via the internet to locals from the country they claim to be from to verify (or not) authenticity.
We are mostly freaking out because our lives are on hold for the last few months Re:Corona, imagine that for 10+ years. Refugees do not deserve to sit around like this, but those who are applying under false pretence should be returned to their country of origin as soon as possible and let the genuine cases fully integrate and create a new life for themselves.
Is there any limit on the number of asylum seekers we take in.i all for helping people but surely there has to be a cut off figure. We are now on our knees financially and need to review this.
@Mike Heelan: are you an economist or a humanitarian? Either way, you’re fired. Because you’re use less.
@Mike Heelan: Unlimited numbers would be the wish of vested interests. Ireland sends, per capita, cast sums of money in foreign aid. But in addition to that, vested interests want to now spend more on aid to foreign nationals right here in Ireland.
@James Gannon: tree hugger/bleeding heart
If they implement all the recommendations in that report we will be swamped by illegal immigrants claiming asylum, give them their own place after 3months in DP??? *we can’t even house our own!!
If direct provision is so terrible why are those who have been granted leave to remain still living in direct provision. I believe that there are people from South Africa in the system that to me shows that the system is not fit for purpose
What exactly is the plan to work theses migrants when our our Economy is in the toilet
Where has the “Dublin Agreement” gone? Most of the “asylum seekers” are not seeking refuge from wars, terrorists etc. they are doing it for economical reasons.
Look at the photo. The campaign is driven by “asylum seekers” and their “friends”
I saw this at a meeting organised by IOM years ago. It was obvious that we are being manipulated by well resourced “asylum seekers”. The last thing they wanted was assistance to go home.
What they wanted was that “aslyum” would be granted by an “international”
organisation.
Excuse the ” ” marks
Being that HAP is not effective in covering the cost of rent in Ireland, the new rent subsidy will have to reflect the real rental prices here. One family in Dublin was unable to find housing until a kind landlord read their story in the Times and was willing to lower his rent to give them a home. We need more public housing rather than more campaign promises.
@Rathminder: amazingly the 2016 census identified 245460 vacant homes around Ireland, or 12.3 per cent of the total. The highest percentages of empty properties per head of population were in Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Donegal and other rural counties, but even Dublin city had 33 empty homes per 1,000 people. There is zero need for homelessness in this country. There is a large surplus of homes even if every homeless person had one.
@James Gannon: i agree, but people object to moving to where the housing is. they are too far from where they want to live.
@DeWitt: not true. There are ample vacant homes in all locations in the state. Even in Dublin there are up to 4 times the vacant properties than there are homeless. Greed, hoarding, gov policies etc cause this.
@James Gannon:
Most of them delapidated and/or in places where people are leaving (rural).
Houses built before 2000 approx are technically obsolete due to changes in building standards. It’s cheaper to knock them than to repair them.
Send then all back on inflatable dinghies. How dare anyone come here looking to escape persecution or poverty. Irish people have never done that, not once. No Irish person has ever left for a better life in another country, the neck on these people for trying to commit such a heinous crime
@Fr Chewy Louis: must be some dinghy to go from safe Nigeria to Dublin
@NotaWarder: Is that the safe Nigeria where police shot and killed 20 protesters yesterday, and then claimed it didn’t happen?
@Fr Chewy Louis:
Almost 2 BN people live in extreme poverty. If you talk about people that live in poverty in general, then it’s more than half the population of the planet. The answer isn’t to allow them all to move to Europe as simply put, there’s too many people.
The world would be a much better place if we the privileged paid a fair price for everything. Western companies exploit the resources of these countries. As consumers we are too fond of cheap exotics like chocolate and coffee and we like to buy cheap clothes and electronics. This all come at the expense of everyone else.
@Willem Mevius:
With that logic of yours you would open the borders for anyone with a sob story….charity begins at home aka our own Irish homeless
@Willem Mevius:
So 80 million can come here?
The ones are come are the ones with money who want to get a European passport.
End in 2023? It will in me hoop
Give them all free new council houses and let them work here.
have your say