Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published its first inspection reports on International Protection Accommodation Service centres. These first reports outline the levels of compliance with the national standards in four centres located around the country. 

International Protection Accommodation Service centres, formerly known as direct provision centres, provide accommodation for people seeking international protection in Ireland. HIQA assumed the function of monitoring and inspecting permanent International Protection Accommodation Service centres against national standards on 9 January 2024. 

HIQA found varying levels of compliance across the four centres visited. There were examples of good practice observed in a number of centres, but inspectors identified some common issues, particularly in relation to governance and management, risk management, safeguarding and promoting basic human rights. 

The centres inspected were:

• Hanratty’s Hotel, Co. Limerick
• Hazel Hotel, Co. Kildare
• Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre, Co. Clare
• St Patrick’s Accommodation Centre, Co. Monaghan

Governance and management varied across the centres inspected but was largely found to be underdeveloped. In some centres this was seen in high levels of non-compliance with the national standards. Training deficits were observed in a number of centres, particularly Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) training. Risk management was found to be an area that required improvement across the inspections. In one centre this was so poor that inspectors issued an immediate action for a full risk analysis to be carried out. 

HIQA’s Head of Programme for Monitoring International Protection Accommodation Service Centres, Bronagh Gibson, said: “In January of this year, HIQA commenced inspections of International Protection Accommodation Service centres. Today, we launched our first inspection reports on this service. Through our independent inspection programme, we aim to drive quality improvements within the service and to steer providers towards compliance with the national standards.

“This first series of inspection reports detail a number of key issues within the International Accommodation Protection Service across the country. Inspectors found safeguarding issues across the centres assessed, including failures to ensure staff were Garda vetted. There was also an absence of safeguarding policies in a number of centres, particularly in relation to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults. It is essential that asylum seekers, who are often a vulnerable population, are safe and protected from risk.”

While efforts were made to respect residents’ rights in the accommodation inspected, there were a number of issues identified by inspectors. 

Ms Gibson added: “Overcrowding, access to kitchen facilities and issues with transportation from centres were noted across the inspections. We also found the use of tented accommodation in one centre, which was an inappropriate form of accommodation which could not promote, respect or uphold basic human rights of individuals or comply with national standards.” 

Providers have submitted compliance plans in order to improve the service they offer and to become compliant with the national standards and their implementation will be closely monitored by HIQA. The reports and compliance plans for each centre are available at www.hiqa.ie.

Ends.

Further information:

Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement 085 805 5202 / mwhelan@hiqa.ie

Notes to the Editor:

• HIQA has responsibility for monitoring the quality of permanent International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres provided by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth as set out under S.I. No. 649/2023 - European Communities (Reception Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2023. HIQA does not have responsibility for emergency, reception, or other types of accommodation for international protection applicants.
• Accommodation for people in the international protection process may be provided by a number of different types of service provider, who are contracted to do so by IPAS, a division of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The centres that these providers run provide accommodation, meals and access to support services to people who have applied for international protection (asylum seekers) in Ireland. This system was formerly known as ‘direct provision’.
• HIQA inspects IPAS centres against the National Standards for accommodation offered to people in the protection process (2019).