Policy information
Equality and Integration
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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The policy areas for the equality, integration and international protection division develop policy focussed on supporting the rights and aspirations of some of the most vulnerable groups in society, with a particular focus on intervention and proactive support.
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Under EU and International Law, Ireland is obliged to examine the claim of any person who arrives into the country and claims International Protection. International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) is responsible for the provision of accommodation and related services to people in the International Protection (‘asylum’) process.
While that claim is being examined by the Department of Justice, IPAS offers accommodation and related services to International Protection applicants who wish to accept the offer of accommodation from the Irish State.
Some International Protection applicants may also choose to live with family or friends already living in the community or can source and provide for their own accommodation.
The International Protection Support Service is responsible for implementation of the new model of accommodation for International Protection applicants as set out in 'A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service'.
This new model will be focused on encouraging Integration from day one and supporting applicants to live independently. This new service will be implemented on a phased basis between the years 2021 and 2024.
As part of the commitments established in the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision, the International Protection Support Services (IPSS) Transition Team has been tasked with developing an information hub for International Protection applicants. The International Protection Support Services Information Hub will function as a useful resource for applicants, facilitating their acclimation to life in Ireland through the provision of practical information and guidance on navigating the asylum process.
Established in 2015 in response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of forced displacement from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. More than 1,900 refugees arrived on resettlement under that programme between 2015 and 2019.
In December 2019, the Irish government committed to a new refugee protection programme, to expand its community sponsorship programme and to increase its annual resettlement quota by 50 each year over the next four years: 650 in 2020, 700 in 2021, 750 in 2022 and 800 in 2023.
The full Irish Refugee Protection Programme information can be seen here
Anti-Racism Policy provides the secretariat to the independent Anti-Racism Committee, which was established by Government in 2020 to develop a National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR). The Committee is mandated to strengthen the Government’s approach to combatting racism and to build on actions included in the Migrant Integration Strategy (MIS) and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS). Anti-Racism Policy supports the Committee in this work in reviewing evidence, drafting policy documents, including the Committee’s Interim Report which the Minister published in 2021. It delivered the Public Consultation, and engaged with colleagues across Government as well as key stakeholders, on behalf of the Committee. The Committee aim to submit the NAPAR to the Minister in 2022.
Anti-Racism Policy’s work with the Anti-Racism Committee is informed by the European Commission in their development of the EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025.
Anti-Racism Policy is also responsible for reporting on Ireland’s anti-racism measures to international human rights bodies, including the UN and the Council of Europe. It has recently completed two Follow-Up Reports. The first addressing the recommendations made by the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) following its examination of Ireland’s anti-racism policies in December 2019. The second addressing the recommendations made by European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), following their Country Report on Ireland in 2018. ECRI is the Council of Europe’s independent human rights monitoring body specialised in combating antisemitism, discrimination, racism, religious intolerance, and xenophobia.
The Funds Administration team ensures that Grant Agreements are in place for each funded project and that appropriate Governance Compliance and Reporting frameworks are in place. The team ensures that the all payments are made in a timely and accurate manner and that appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes are in place.
The team provide a centralised operational and governance resource where national EU Funds are used to support implementation of the policies of the Equality Division. This team is also the Responsible Authority (or Managing Authority) for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in Ireland and has additional responsibilities in this regard.
Funds Administration currently provides assistance in the following business areas relating to the management of grants relating to National and EU Funding programmes:
- Inclusion
- Equality (Traveller and Roma initiatives)
- Gender Equality
- Integration Service Delivery
- Migrant Integration
- LGBTI+
The National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2017 – 2021 (NTRIS) was published on 13 June 2017. The Strategy contains a number of key commitments in areas such as Education, Health, Accommodation and Employment to help improve the lives of Travellers and Roma. The review of NTRIS is currently underway and work has commenced on the development of a successor strategy.
As part of its work with International Bodies to progress Traveller and Roma inclusion, Ireland periodically reports under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), ratified in May 1999. The Convention is a multilateral treaty of the Council of Europe, devoted to the protection of persons belonging to national minorities. Under the FCNM, Ireland submits periodic reports describing the measures implemented over the previous five years, with reference to the Council of Europe’s recommendations, and covering matters pertaining to the Traveller and Roma communities.
Ireland submitted its Fifth State Report to the Council of Europe on 12 July 2023. This report has been prepared by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, in consultation with all other relevant Departments. In addition, Traveller and Roma representative organisations, and interested parties, were invited to submit their observations in writing, in response to the draft report. The comments and feedback received were taken into account when compiling the final draft, and the full content of the submissions is included as an Appendix to the State Report, which is available here and below.
As part of the reporting cycle, a delegation of the FCNM Advisory Committee will conduct a monitoring visit to Ireland from 18 to 22 September 2023 to follow up on the Fifth State Report submitted on 12 July 2023.
The LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2021 was published on 28 November 2019 and complements the LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy 2018-2020 published in June 2018.
The Strategy contains over 100 actions that are aimed at promoting inclusion, protecting rights and improving the quality of life and wellbeing of LGBTI+ people. It reflects the commitment in the Programme for Government to create an equal, fair and inclusive society for all, target discrimination and enable LGBTI+ people to overcome the barriers they face.
The Report of the Inter-departmental Committee (The McAleese Report) to establish the facts of State involvement with Magdalen Laundries was published in 2013. Following that report, the Government asked Mr. Justice John Quirke to devise a scheme to address the needs of the women who were admitted to and worked in the Magdalen institutions. Justice Quirke submitted his report to Government in June, 2013 – The Magdalen Commission Report (otherwise known as the Quirke Report).
The Government accepted in principle all of the recommendations in the Quirke Report. These recommendations included the payment of an ex-gratia lump sum to each eligible woman. The report sets out the amounts which may be paid, which vary between €11,500 and €100,000.
The Government later decided to add two further institutions to the scheme - St Mary’s Domestic Training Centre, Stanhope Street; and the House of Mercy Domestic Training School, Summerhill, Wexford. For the purposes of the Ex Gratia Scheme, these twelve institutions are collectively called the ‘Magdalen institutions.’
By January 2022, €32.8m has been paid in awards to 814 applicants who qualified under the terms of the Scheme.
In 2017, The Ombudsman issued a report on the operation of the scheme and made a number of recommendations, all of which were accepted by Government. Arising from one of the Ombudsman’s recommendations, in May 2018 the Government decided to apply the scheme to women who worked in the laundries in the 12 institutions but who were resident in one of the 14 adjoining institutions. A complete list of the Magdalen institutions and the adjoining Institutions is set out in the table here.
