Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2024
639. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 185 of 9 October 2024, to provide a breakdown of the €21.552 million allocation, outlining how much was allocated to local authority integration teams and how much was allocated to the community integration forums in Budget 2025. [43020/24]
View answer640. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 185 of 9 October 2024, how much of the €21.552 million allocated to local authority integration teams and the community integration forums in Budget 2025 is new money. [43021/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 639 and 640 together.
A Local Authority Integration Team (LAIT) has now been established in each Local Authority. The teams work directly with International Protection Applicants, Those with Status, Programme Refugees and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection with the overarching aim to empower individuals to ultimately live independently in the community.
The role of the teams is to provide ongoing integration supports, information, advice and guidance. The teams link individuals with relevant supports and services and work with service providers to provide complementary support.
The teams are also integral members of the Community Integration Forums (CIF). The Forums are the newly permanent and expanded structure which incorporates both the existing Community Response Forum for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP), and the Interagency Working Groups currently in place for the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.The purpose of the Forums, which are driven and chaired by the Chief Executive of the local authority, is to act as a collaborative network and working group across the mainstream services, community and voluntary organisations, and NGOs working with International Protection Applicants, Programme Refugees and BOTP.
In Budget 2025, I secured an allocation of €15.956m for the Local Authority Integration Teams and of €5.596m for the Community Integration Forum. The allocation for 2024 was €6m and €4m respectively. Recruitment for the LAITs has been on-going throughout 2024. The 2025 allocation is representative of the full year costs at full staffing levels for 2025.
