Hiqa questions lack of staff vetting at accommodation centres for Ukrainians

Hiqa said vetting was in place at direct provision centres for asylum seekers and questioned why this 'primary protection' for 'vulnerable populations' was not required for Ukrainians.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) raised concerns with the Government over why staff in accommodation centres housing Ukrainian refugees, including children, were not being vetted by An Garda Síochána.

In correspondence, the health and social care authority said there appeared to be a “lacuna” when it came to safeguarding war refugees who were being housed in “congregated settings”.

Hiqa said vetting was in place at direct provision centres for asylum seekers and questioned why this “primary protection” for “vulnerable populations” was not required for Ukrainians.

In internal discussions, officials at the Department of Equality accepted there was a “discrepancy” in how different groups of refugees were being treated.

However, they feared that having different rules for different types of accommodation could see them “run into problems”.

“The reality is that there is a discrepancy in how we treat different groups, but I am not sure we have a strong footing to argue why they are treated differently,” wrote a senior department official in an email to colleagues in early June.

The official said there could be a “real difficulty” for them to explain why vetting of staff would be necessary in one setting and not in another.

This is all very complex and we should not go lightly into vetting.”

Another official was not so certain that checking of staff would be required in accommodation for refugees from Ukraine.

“To be honest, given the way we procure and contract — essentially we pay the hotel bill — I’m not sure vetting is required under law,” said the official.

A discussion email said hotel staff did not generally require vetting but that a child safety statement needed to be in place.

“If we introduce a requirement to vet staff in some settings (i.e. those housing BoTPs [beneficiaries of temporary protection]) and not others, even though in the same industry, we may run into problems,” they wrote in the email.

The official said a similar issue had previously been raised about housing homeless families in hotels and that the department had not pursued seeking Garda checks.

“It should also be remembered that [these] children are not on their own — but under the care and supervision of family, extended family members, or guardians,” said the email.

In a letter to Hiqa in late June, the department said it had raised the discrepancy with the Garda National Vetting Bureau who said it would not be in position to provide the service under current laws.

“Garda vetting of employees is a matter for employers to manage for their direct employees,” said the letter.

“The department does not employ staff in accommodation settings for Ukraine.

“It is best practice in settings where there are children and vulnerable adults to do this, and it is incumbent on accommodation providers to educate themselves in this regard.”