Minister O’Gorman marks one-year anniversary of White Paper on ending Direct Provision with progress update

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01 FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY

Minister announces €5m Integration Fund will start roll out in 2022
Programme Board, Advisory Group, and Transition Team established to end Direct Provision and create new International Protection Support Service
The implementation of the White Paper is progressing well in the year since its publication
It is planned that International Protection applicants will begin to transition into the new model this year

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, today marked the anniversary of the publication of the White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service.

Since the publication of the White Paper in February 2021, extensive work has been delivered to enable the transition to the new model of accommodation for International Protection applicants.

The implementation of the White Paper is progressing as scheduled and it is anticipated that the full transition to the new model can be achieved by the end of 2024.

Key milestones achieved in the implementation of the White Paper include:

Establishment of a dedicated Transition Team in the Department to drive implementation of the new model.
Governance structures have put in place in the form of a Programme Board and an External Advisory Committee to oversee transition to the new system.
Detailed preparatory work has been undertaken on the accommodation and support strands of the new model.
Cooperation is underway with key implementation partners such as the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Agency and the Local Authorities to develop and implement the new accommodation model and support services.
Planning is well advanced on developing a system of income support for international protection applicants and the integration support system that will apply.

The new model is centred on the idea of integration from day one. People arriving in this country will be supported in becoming members of their local communities, and support will be given to local community groups to enable them to be part of this.

An Integration Fund will be launched later this year, which will support Local Community Groups to help fund initiatives that support applicants as they integrate into towns and cities around the country and also deliver benefits for the community itself. A key commitment of the White Paper, the Fund will be worth €5m over the next 3 years. The first round of funding will be awarded to projects this year.

A webpage has also been launched that will allow the public to follow the implementation of the White Paper. This webpage will be updated regularly with information and reports on the progress of transitioning to the new model of accommodation for International Protection applicants.

Commenting on the year anniversary, Minister O’Gorman said:

“I am happy to say that since its publication one year ago, the implementation of the White Paper has been progressing as scheduled so that the full transition to the new model can be achieved by the end of 2024.

“In that year, we have put in place firm foundations to build the new International Protection Support Service. The creation of a new accommodation system for International Protection applicants is a major undertaking, and the governance and delivery structures we have put in place will ensure that this can be delivered on time. I am pleased to say that it is planned that applicants for International Protection will begin to transition to the new model this year.

“We look forward to continuing our work and engaging with NGOs, implementation partners and communities around Ireland as we end Direct Provision, and complete the transition to the new model of International Protection Support Services.”

For more information click gov.ie/IPSS

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