Pringle calls on Government to address concerns Ombudsman for Children outlined in report on direct provision

By Thomas Pringle
Updated: 1st December 2023

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has pressed Government to address concerns the Ombudsman for Children identified in a special report on the safety and welfare of children in direct provision.

Addressing Minister Roderic O’Gorman in the Dáil, Deputy Pringle said: “A special report is made when the Ombudsman believes that the measures taken in response to recommendations made as a result of an investigation are not satisfactory. In this specific case, the report was made following an investigation into the safety and welfare of children in State-provided accommodation, after which three specific recommendations were made to the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS).”

Deputy Pringle opened the debate on a motion he brought to the Dáil on Thursday evening re Special Report by the Ombudsman for Children entitled, “Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision”.

The deputy said: “The Ombudsman for Children’s Office determined over two years ago that the failures of IPAS and Tusla had an adverse effect on children residing in direct provision, emergency reception and orientation centres and emergency accommodation centres.” The war in Ukraine has created “a crisis-driven response” that has severely impacted implementation of the White Paper to end direct provision, he said.

The deputy said: “In response to the report, IPAS, in April 2021, committed to ending the use of non-designated commercial hotels and developing a contingency plan to respond to capacity pressures. Despite this, hotels still constitute the primary form of accommodation for those under temporary protection in Ireland today.

“Not only that but a further 150 emergency accommodation centres have been opened since 2022, most of which are hotels,” he said. The deputy said it is clear that Government will not meet its Phase One or Phase Two accommodation targets by the end of next year.

The deputy said that in April 2021, IPAS also committed to putting in place a quality assurance mechanism to monitor complaints, child protection and welfare concerns, and to ensure compliance with the Children First Act 2015. At the time, HIQA’s remit was extended to the independent monitoring of designated accommodation centres, but regulations governing this arrangement are not yet in place and will only be in effect for four years, he said.

Deputy Pringle said: “As well as this, HIQA weren’t granted power to inspect emergency accommodation centres, which we know have considerable issues. A child is a child whether they are in temporary accommodation or permanent. They deserve to be treated equally and children in emergency accommodation are particularly vulnerable, given the precariousness of their situation and the fact that many are adjusting to a completely new country and oftentimes a new culture as well.

“And it’s this vulnerability that needs to be taken into consideration in the planning and provision of accommodation needs for children in international protection,” he said.

Deputy Pringle said the Reception Directive and Regulations recognised minors as “inherently vulnerable” and stated the Minister’s obligation to assess whether an applicant has special reception needs within 30 days. He said: “Despite this, as of May this year only 10% of children seeking international protection have received a vulnerability assessment, with 44% of those assessed as requiring a social work referral. This is absolutely shocking and demonstrates the failure of the State towards children seeking international protection.”

The deputy said: “The special report was made because the Ombudsman wasn’t satisfied that IPAS’s commitment to cease the use of commercial hotels will be met in the short- to medium-term or that a robust quality assurance mechanism is in place or will be put in place for the majority of children seeking international protection, or that IPAS has sufficient regard to the vulnerability of children within the international protection process in the planning and provision of their accommodation needs.

“All children are vulnerable and their formative years are a vital time of development. This is particularly true for children living in temporary accommodation,” he said.

The deputy said: “This never-ending state of emergency that this government constantly operates in has to end. The Minister needs to start focusing on permanent solutions. We should have State-run and managed accommodation, completely open to inspection by HIQA to ensure the safety of children coming to Ireland.

“We are a very well-off country with plenty of resources to share. There are no excuses for the way this government has mishandled the manner in which this country is run or the public finances it refuses to spend on sensible, permanent accommodation for everyone in this country,” he said.

He said the Understanding Life in Ireland 2023 report showed Ireland is progressing in all areas apart from wealth equality and housing. The deputy said: “How is it that significant gaps in wealth equality still persist, even as this country grows wealthier? This government is aiding the well-off with tax breaks, while the most vulnerable in our society are left to suffer and fight for the limited leftover scraps of the wealthy. Deep-rooted inequality in areas such as housing and wealth distribution will drive instability in our society. It already has. Look around this chamber. Look at last week. And look at social media.

“This fight for limited resources is destroying our country and turning us against each other. It doesn’t have to be this way. We do have enough to provide for everyone. We can’t begin to turn on or abandon the most vulnerable. But this report shows that’s exactly what we are doing right now. We are failing, and failing badly,” he said.

Deputy Pringle said: “I am asking you, Minister, to please take into consideration the findings of this report and act on them.”

He said: “These children deserve a life of dignity. They have the potential to contribute enormously to our communities and our society, but you have to give them a chance to do that. And I know that you are well intentioned yourself, but I have to question whether you’re getting the support of the whole of government,” saying the report required a whole-of-government approach.

In his remarks to close the debate, Deputy Pringle urged Minister O’Gorman to ensure his department continues to engage fully with the Ombudsman’s office to see what more needs to be done.

Deputy Pringle said: “There’s no doubt that the Government is finding itself in a difficult situation with the volume and numbers that are coming in, but I really would be afraid that in three years’ time we’ll be standing here, and we’ll still be talking about the difficulty.”

He said: “Until we decide that we have to do this and we’re going to do this, it’s always going to be too difficult to do it.” The deputy suggested that one move that could be made straight away would be to have HIQA inspect hotels and other contracted centres used for emergency accommodation.

The deputy said: “Ultimately, it’s about bettering the lives of the children who are coming here. They will contribute more than we’ll ever expend on them now to this State and that has to be recognised.”