Almost 90% of families in direct provision say daily allowance not enough to meet basic needs

The Irish Refugee Council’s chief executive Nick Henderson is appealing for an increase to the daily expenses allowance in light of the findings of the survey. File picture: Larry Cummins

A new survey of experiences of families living in direct provision has found almost 90% feel the daily allowance they receive is not enough to cover basic needs such as food and healthcare.

The survey, published by the Irish Refugee Council, comes as Empowering People in Care (Epic) has been granted funding for research on experiences of State care among unaccompanied minors.

The funding has been granted by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission for both pieces of research.

The Irish Refugee Council’s chief executive Nick Henderson is appealing for an increase to the daily expenses allowance (DEA) in light of the findings of the survey.

The allowance, for personal and incidental expenses, stands at €38.80 per week for an adult and €29.80 per week for a child.

The survey found:

• 88% of parents felt the allowance was insufficient to cover basic needs such as food and healthcare;
• 49% of respondents said the child allowance is spent on meeting childcare-related expenses;
• 84% reported the allowance was insufficient to cover childcare-related needs; 
• 57% of respondents face challenges in saving money for future needs or emergencies.

Mr Henderson said: “We are urging the Government to include an increase of the daily expenses allowance in line with inflation. 

"It is completely inappropriate to increase welfare payments across the board as a cost-of-living measure, while ignoring this particularly marginalised group. 

"People seeking protection rely on the DEA to afford necessities like sanitary products and public transport, often from very rural locations.” 

Participants in the IRC study said their children were being left behind and excluded from participating in social and extracurricular activities. 

One mother reported saving money for two weeks to pay for registration with the local football club and having to wait until the next DEA payment to pay the balance. 

Others described being unable to pay for trips and excursions organised by the school, according to the IRC.

Study on unaccompanied minors

Meanwhile, the Epic research is now gone to tender, with applications being sought from qualified researchers with experience in children’s rights or migrant rights to conduct a unique study on the experiences of State care amongst unaccompanied minors.

The organisation said: “The research aims to provide a better understanding of the needs, challenges, and perspectives of these children and young people, and to inform policy and practice to improve their access to rights, including their wellbeing, integration, and transition to adulthood.” 

The organisation added it was seeking to “give voice to their experiences and to promote their rights and active participation, as well as to contribute to the development of more effective, responsive, and rights-informed services for this group, who are seldom heard”.