It will be at least another year before people who are working and also living in asylum accommodation will be asked to contribute towards the cost of their lodging and reception, Minister for Integration, Norma Foley, has confirmed.
Although statutory instruments allowing such contributions to be assessed have been in place since 2018, the Minister says that her department is developing models of contribution for recommendation, and only after a model is agreed can implementation begin which would take up to a year.
“It is estimated that a model, if agreed, could be implemented within 9 to 12 months of approval, having regards to legal considerations, compliance with procurement guidelines, deploying payment systems, and onboarding of staff,” the Minister said.
IPAS provides accommodation and related services to asylum applicants who accept an offer of same from the State. This offering includes all meals and utilities. Full access to medical services is also available, including a medical card.
The further delay was slammed by Independent TD Carol Nolan who first raised the issue last May.
“The complete lack of urgency in addressing this situation, which is not just some kind of incidental inequity in the application of Government regulations but is actually closer to an embedded and consciously deliberate form of preferential treatment, must be addressed,” the Offaly TD said.
“I and, I suspect, the vast majority of people in the state have no problem in demanding that fairness is applied. I am also adamant that the process of establishing a contributions model must not be dominated by a bleeding heart NGO perspective which seems to get very exercised about every other form of injustice under the sun, but is curiously silent on this one.”
Last May, Deputy Nolan, asked then Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman if he would support measures whereby asylum applicants who obtain employment after six months residency in Ireland and resident in state-provided accommodation would contribute to the costs incurred by the state. IPAS applicants have been permitted to access the labour market since mid-2018.
In response, Minister O’Gorman stated that IPAS residents who are in receipt of income which reaches the thresholds set out can already be required to make a contribution towards the cost of the provision of their reception. However, he also confirmed that “while regulation 5 of the Reception Conditions Regulations allows for the assessment and adjustment of a recipient’s weekly income, IPAS does not currently request a contribution from IP applicants residing in IPAS accommodation centres.”
At the time Deputy Nolan said that she believed it would “be clear to most reasonable people that there is a level of preferential treatment being afforded here that is entirely unacceptable and indeed deeply frustrating”.
“The Statutory Instrument that governs this issue clearly provides for a contribution where an IPAS resident earns anything up to €600 plus per week from employment or self-employment. Yet the state is doing nothing to ask for even a minimal level of contribution toward incurred costs. Why is that and what message is it sending out?”
“Anyone who is on HAP for instance must make a contribution toward their accommodation costs, so why the disparity here especially when the state is actually providing the accommodation?” she said.
In a follow-up question last month, Deputy Nolan asked the Minister for Integration “for an update on efforts to ensure that employed or self-employed IPAS applicants, living in State-provided accommodation, will contribute to the costs incurred by the State”.
In response, Minster Foley said that while her Department is developing recommendations on a contribution model for people in asylum accommodation she estimated that a model, if agreed, “could be implemented within 9 to 12 months of approval, having regards to legal considerations, compliance with procurement guidelines, deploying payment systems, and onboarding of staff.”
However, Carol Nolan TD told Gript that the Statutory Instruments seeking a contribution “have been in place since 2018” and they “clearly outline the financial contributions that those who are employed and living in asylum accommodation – with food, utilities covered and medical cards provided – are expected to make once their income reaches or exceeds a certain threshold.”
“The word is “shall”, and this has been the case since 2018, it was just completely ignored in practice, like so much else in our international protection system,” she said.
She referred to the existing schedule which she said had been ignored by the government for its entire period in office, and said that further delay was unacceptable.
Minister Foley said that the overall purpose of the proposal regarding contributions “is to ensure equity and fairness in accommodation-related contributions sought from people across all of society, including those in international protection accommodation.”
“Many other EU Member States operate some form of contribution model in this sector. The income limits and contribution rates used vary from country to country and the income is determined mainly by self-declaration,” she said.
“IPAS is currently providing accommodation to almost 33,000 people, of whom over 9,000 are children. IPAS is responsible for the provision of accommodation and related services to IP applicants who wish to accept an offer of accommodation from the State. This offering includes all meals and utilities. Full access to public medical services is available.”
“A weekly personal allowance of €38.80 per adult is also paid to those eligible. Many applicants are working, which they can apply for a permit to do after 5 months in Ireland.”
“On foot of Government approval to conduct an overall review of entitlements for those within the international protection system, my Department was asked by Government to explore options for adults in receipt of income who are resident in international protection accommodation to make an income-based contribution to accommodation costs. This work is ongoing and will soon be a matter for the Department of Justice, which is taking over policy responsibility for integration and migration.”
“It is estimated that a model, if agreed, could be implemented within 9 to 12 months of approval, having regards to legal considerations, compliance with procurement guidelines, deploying payment systems, and onboarding of staff.”