Government to accept extra 260 refugees in response to crisis

The Government is to accept a further 260 refugees from Lebanon in 2017 under its resettlement programme.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald is to bring a memo to Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting seeking Government approval for the move, which would be in addition to the 520 people being accepted this year and the 260 due for admission by next spring.

Ms Fitzgerald announced in September 2015 that Ireland would accept up to 4,000 refugees as part of a co-ordinated European Union response to the crisis in the Mediterranean.

As part of that commitment the Government agreed to accept 2,622 asylum seekers under the relocation scheme from Greece and Italy. The new agreement comes within the figure approved.

Only 109 people have arrived in Ireland under that programme, mostly families from Greece; some 69 of these are from Syria.

Relocation system

A further 128 people have been assessed and cleared for arrival, and arrangements for their travel to the State are currently being made.

The Irish Refugee Protection Programme travelled to Athens earlier this month and interviewed another 87 people. It is expected that at least another 80 people will be interviewed during a further mission in December.

By the end of 2016, the Government hopes Ireland will have accepted more than 400 people from Greece under the relocation pledge system.

Ms Fitzgerald will inform her Cabinet colleagues that the pace of relocation programme has been slower than anticipated but will increase in the new year.

Ms Fitzgerald will also say that 520 refugees will have been resettled in Ireland by the end of the year. However, 233 of the refugees have not been housed yet. Some 274 have completed their language training and orientation programme in the Hazel Hotel in Monasterevin, Co Kildare or the Clonea Strand Hotel in Dungarvan, Co Waterford.