As reported for 2015, the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was approved by Government decision on 10 September 2015 in response to the migration crisis. The Government confirmed that Ireland will take in a total of 4,000 persons, primarily through a combination of relocation under the EU relocation mechanism and the UNHCR-led programme currently focused on resettling refugees from Lebanon, with the two main mechanisms to be given effect by the end of 2017 based on the timelines set out in the relevant commitments.202
Ireland has opted into the two EU decisions on Relocation – Council Decision (EU) 2015/1523 of 14 September 2015 and Council Decision (EU) 2015/1601 of 22 September 2015.
In November 2016, further to an Oireachtas motion passed on 10 November 2016,203 the Irish Government decided to allocate up to 200 places for unaccompanied minors who had previously been living in the migrant camp in Calais, and who expressed a wish to come to Ireland. These 200 places are part of the overall total of 4,000 persons (see also Chapter 4).
The breakdown of the total Government commitment of 4,000 persons under the IRPP is set out in Table 3.2.
TABLE 3.2 BREAKDOWN OF GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT UNDER IRISH REFUGEE PROTECTION PROGRAMME
Total relocation 2,622
Total resettlement 1,040
Government Decision of 10 November 2016 regarding unaccompanied minors previously in Calais
200
Mechanism undecided 138
Grand total 4,000
Source: Department of Justice and Equality. Parliamentary Question 40430/16 of 14 December 2016.
A total of 356 persons were resettled to Ireland in 2016, of Syrian, Syrian Palestinian and Iraqi origin.204 By end 2016, 519 persons out of the original Irish commitment of 520 under the EU Resettlement Programme had arrived in Ireland. In July 2016, the Minister for Justice and Equality announced that a further 260 persons would be accepted on resettlement,205 and refugees were
202 Department of Justice and Equality, October 2017.
203 Dáil Éireann (10 November 2016), ‘EU Migration Crisis: Motion’, available at https://beta.oireachtas.ie. 204 Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (2017).
selected to fill these places on a selection mission in October 2016. These 260 were expected to arrive in Ireland in spring 2017.206 In November 2016, the Minister for Justice and Equality announced a further mission to Lebanon to select a further 260 refugees.207
By 16 December 2016, 240208 asylum seekers under the relocation programme from Greece had arrived in Ireland. In December 2016, the Minister for Justice and Equality indicated that over 400 persons, mostly families with young children, would have either arrived in Ireland or been cleared for arrival by the end of 2016.209 The countries of origin of the arrivals were Syria and Iraq.
Throughout 2016, a schedule of monthly visits to Athens took place, by a multidisciplinary team comprising officials from ORAC, the IRPP and An Garda Síochána. This team met all of the relocation applicants for Ireland and delivered a cultural orientation, general needs assessment and security assessment.210 Arrivals under the relocation programme were from Greece. There were no relocations from Italy, due to difficulties between the Irish and Italian authorities relating to security assessments on Italian soil by An Garda Síochána of applicants for relocation. Efforts were made during 2016 to resolve this issue, including a bilateral intervention by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with his Italian counterpart.211
Table 3.3 shows the breakdown of the 2016 arrivals on relocation.
TABLE 3.3 BREAKDOWN OF ARRIVALS TO IRELAND FROM GREECE UNDER EU RELOCATION PROGRAMME IN 2016
Adults (male) 73
Adults (female) 59
Married and under 18 (female) 5
Minors (male) 54
Minors (female) 49
Total 240
Source: Irish Refugee Protection Programme, August 2017.
Unaccompanied minors are included in the totals of minors. Using the definition
206 Response to Parliamentary Question 40309/16 of 16 December 2016, available at www.justice.ie.
207 Department of Justice and Equality (2016f). This mission took place in late March/early April 2017. Response to Parliamentary Question 22835/17 of 16 May 2017, available at: www.justice.ie.
208 Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Refugee Protection Programme, February 2017.
209 Department of Justice and Equality (14 December 2016), Response to Parliamentary Question 40430/16. 210 Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (2017).
of an unaccompanied minor applied by Greek officials – that an unaccompanied minor is anyone under 18 who is not accompanied by an adult member of the immediate family212– Ireland took in 12 unaccompanied minors from Greece up to 16 December 2016.213
The Minister for Justice and Equality, on a visit to Greece in December 2016, committed that Ireland would receive at least 1,100 persons from hotspots in Greece (including those already arrived in Ireland) by September 2017.214
The Minister commented that she had also asked her
officials to examine the possibility of increasing these numbers further in light of the difficulties in vetting asylum seekers in Italy which is hampering our efforts to accept migrants from there.215
NGOs called during the year for increased participation by Ireland in the EU relocation and resettlement schemes. In an open letter addressed to all TDs, a group of NGOs, the Refugee and Migrant Coalition,216 called for the implementation of the Government commitment to accept 4,000 refugees under the IRPP to be stepped up. In addition, they called for an increase in available places for resettlement of refugees. The open letter drew attention to Ireland’s
co-hosting of the United Nations General Assembly Summit on Migration and Refugees in September 2016, and called for Ireland’s international good standing
not to be undermined in this area by failure to participate fully in relocation and resettlement.217
The IRC published proposals regarding safe and legal pathways to Ireland to coincide with World Refugee Day in June 2016, which were updated in November 2016. In addition to calling for additional places to be made available under the relocation and resettlement programmes, these proposals suggested use of humanitarian visas and various options linked to family reunification to provide pathways for refugees to Ireland, such as private sponsorship schemes (including an extension of the 2014 Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme (SHAP)), a more flexible approach to existing family reunification rules and procedures, and use of family criteria under the Dublin system, and family tracing systems, to enable refugees to reunite with family members. The proposals also suggested use of other legal channels of migration such as education sponsorship
212 Department of Justice and Equality (14 December 2016), Response to Parliamentary Question 40430/16. 213 Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Refugee Protection Programme, February 2017.
214 Department of Justice and Equality (2016g). 215 Ibid.
216 Action Aid, Comhlámh, Community Work Ireland, Conference of Religious in Ireland, Cultúr, Doras Luimní, Immigrant Council of Ireland, Irish Missionary Union, Irish Refugee Council, Mercy International Association, Migrant Rights Centre Ireland.
schemes.218 As discussed at Section 3.2.1, Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, also called for safe and legal pathways to Ireland and the use of family reunification channels through its Safe Passage campaign.219
The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) held a conference, ‘A Call to Action and
Unity: Forming Ireland’s Response to the Refugee and Migration Crisis’, in June 2016.220 It was opened by President Michael D. Higgins. In his opening address, the President emphasised the importance of solidarity and responsibility at the global, EU and national levels in addressing the crisis. He also highlighted his experience of the dialogue at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016, which focused on the human dimension of the crisis and looked at the link between development goals and humanitarian action to address humanitarian emergencies (see Chapter 6 for further discussion).221
UNHCR Ireland hosted a conference on refugee sponsorship programmes and student scholarship schemes in September 2016. The aim of the conference was to examine examples of creating safe and legal pathways for refugees. Speakers outlined private sponsorship schemes in Canada and their experience of refugee student scholarships. The conference was opened by the Minister for State at the Department of Justice and Equality with responsibility for immigration issues, David Stanton TD. In relation to student scholarships, the Minister said:
If Irish third level institutions were to offer places to displaced students from conflict areas, with the necessary educational standards to cope with English language tuition, then they are entitled to apply for student visas. I expect that any such applications will be successful. This is current practice and student visas also include certain rights to access the labour market. Such initiatives from third level institutions would be of great benefit to displaced students and I assure you we already have measures in place to process any applications that would arise.222
EMN Ireland, the Irish NCP of the European Migration Network located within the ESRI, hosted a conference on ‘Responding to the Refugee Crisis’ in December 2016. The aim of the conference was to bring together a range of speakers to address current responses to the refugee crisis. Speakers from Oxfam Ireland, UNHCR, the Department of Justice and Equality, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, the European Commission, the IRC and other EU Member States – Sweden, Portugal and Germany – spoke over three thematic
218 Irish Refugee Council (2016a).
219 Campaigns for Change – Safe Passage. See www.nascireland.org.
220 Immigrant Council of Ireland (2016), ‘A Call to Action and Unity: Forming Ireland’s Response to the Refugee and
Migration Crisis’, 9 and 10 June, Trinity College Dublin. 221 President of Ireland (2016a).
sessions: ‘Context and Policy Framework’, ‘State and Local Level Response in EU Member States’ and ‘Ireland’s Response to the Refugee Crisis’. The final session was closed by a presentation of a personal experience of resettlement and integration in Ireland, from business person and former programme refugee Abbas Ghadimi. The opening address was given by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality. The Minister addressed Ireland’s direct
response to the migration crisis in his speech but also highlighted the longer term challenge of integration into communities.223
3.4.1 Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres
Among the measures agreed under the IRPP was the establishment of Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROCs), which are used to provide initial accommodation in order to meet the basic needs of asylum seekers relocated from the hotspots while their applications for refugee status are processed. EROCs are also used to provide temporary initial housing for refugees arriving under the resettlement element of the IRPP. The two streams are accommodated separately.
The Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality explained the main aim behind establishment of the EROCs:
The principal aim of the Government in establishing such centres is to provide a safe and calm environment where these migrants, mostly young families who have endured unimaginable loss and suffering, can take time to reflect on their journey, recover physically and mentally, acclimatise themselves to Irish society, learn English, and start planning for their future.
The centres act as hubs for the important range of services that need to be delivered to these particularly vulnerable persons, including medical services, language training, education, cultural orientation and social protection services.224
Two EROCs became operational in 2016 – in Counties Kildare (Monasterevin) and Waterford (Clonea Strand, Dungarvan). In addition, accommodation for approximately 230 people was temporarily set aside as an EROC in the asylum seeker accommodation centre in Mosney, Co. Louth pending the opening of future EROCs.225 The facilities and services provided include onsite education, health and social protection services, orientation classes and weekly IRPP
223 EMN Ireland (2016a).
224 Seanad Commencement Matter (26 January 2017), Immigration Support Services, available at www.oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie.
clinics.226
In May 2016, the Minister for Health welcomed a funding allocation from the Dormant Accounts Fund227 to the Department of Health. The projects supported included an allocation of €450,000 for a two-year Intercultural Health Project for Refugees to support the delivery of a range of health services to meet the emerging needs of the new residents of the EROCs established in Clonea Strand and Monasterevin. According to the Department of Health:
the main objectives of the programme are to identify the health needs of residents of the EROCs, provide health service information and access routes, deliver intercultural awareness training to health and social care staff and to provide a mental health support service as part of an outreach/satellite service. The services provided will include screening and public health services, interpreting services, GP services and out of hours, dental services, mental health including post-traumatic stress and transport to hospital appointments.228