PB3 highlighted the need for the Strategy to address a lack of joined up approach: “it does need to be more joined up, there does need to be a strategic vision about what that needs to look like. And I just don’t know if there is a strategic vision with all of our key stakeholders: health, social care, council, housing executive, education” (PB3). PB3 also highlighted that one of the issues with the prolonged existence of the Strategy in draft was that it would need to be revised again given how quickly things are changing: “The draft Refugee Strategy hasn’t been implemented; it probably needs to be reviewed given the current status quo, and how ever-changing things are…” (PB3). PB2 commented that a fundamental issue standing in the way of a more strategic approach being taken in Northern Ireland was the fact that there is no well developed concept of what integration means: “We don’t even have an agreed definition of what integration is, so how can we be asking people to become integrated in a segregated society is a big one… there are wider fundamental questions that we have to answer here…” (PB2). CSO2 highlighted that there had been some positives in terms of the Executive Office’s developing work on asylum seekers and refugees: “[the] refugee asylum and integration support division, RASID… that is to be welcomed… Because refugees were always, kind of, like, treated as, like, well... in which government department, you know, who has lead responsibility for refugees. And for a long time, it’s ‘oh well that sits with The Home Office’” (CSO2). At the same time, CSO2 noted that there was a public perception that the Division had mostly been focusing on issues related to Ukraine. PB7 noted that there were some signs of more strategic thinking within public services, as discussions around supporting asylum seekers and refugees had moved beyond meeting statutory responsibilities in terms of “ emergency” public services and instead policy discussions were taking place around the “nice to have things” , “what more could be done, you know?” (PB7). In more practical terms, some participants highlighted the lack of a Strategic Migration Partnership (SMP) and short-term funding and planning cycles standing in the way of public services developing more strategic responses. CSO2 noted that although some of the SMP’s functions had been taken on by the Executive Office there was a gap in terms of having an independent forum in which issues could be aired: “Northern Ireland is the… only region now within the UK that doesn’t have a Strategic Migration Partnership… the NI SMP… did provide, kind of, an independent forum consisting of government, local government, councils and voluntary and community sector. And now that is gone” (CSO2). CSO2 commented that the Executive Office taking over the SMP amounted to a “power grab” that reduced the influence of civil society: “By The Executive Office assuming some of the NI SMP functions, they’ve effectively frozen out civil society. Because we... it’s not just that we don’t have a place at a table, there is no table” (CSO2).
Lack of strategic response to devolved public service provision Several participants pointed to an absence of political focus on the issues facing asylum seekers and refugees and a lack of will to address barriers they face in accessing public services. CSO3 referred to the absence of actions around race in the draft Programme for Government 2024 – 2027 which was published in draft in September 2024: “… when the Programme for Government came out, there was not even two lines on race, despite everything [that] happened in summer, there’s nothing” (CSO3). CSO5 also highlighted the absence of focus on asylum seekers and refugees in the draft Programme for Government: “… they say in the text, well, you know, immigration is a reserved matter, we are very limited in what we… that’s basically all that they say” (CSO5). More generally, CSO6 made the point that government needed to be much more proactive in planning for a changing and more diverse society: “…we need our government to be much more proactive. We need our government to be realising that our communities are changing… right now, I can tell you that the refugees and the asylum seekers do not think our government talk for them” (CSO6). W1 participants agreed that some public bodies needed to be more proactive in their responsibility to plan for the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. One example of the lack of strategic focus in government discussed by participants was the ongoing delay in finalising and publishing the Refugee Integration Strategy (the Strategy). Many participants expressed frustration that this has been in draft for such a long period of time. CSO1 was sceptical of the impact the Strategy would have when it was eventually published noting that wider systemic issues around public service culture and lack of coordinated working were unlikely to be resolved: “We have umpteen, hundreds of thousands of strategies and action plans, that never get done…. the issues… in relation to siloed working, and the culture of politics, and government here, all of those things would still be systemic issues that would prevent that strategy addressing issues” (CSO1). CSO5 was critical of the draft Strategy that had been consulted on, saying it was “just woeful” : “[it] didn’t mention the use of hotels, it didn’t mention any of this upsurge in numbers or anything else, it was like it was a draft that had been written in 2018 and, you know, just issued for comment in 2021, 2022” (CSO5). CSO6 referred to the Strategy as a start rather than an end point: “it’s a start. It’s going to give people rights, it’s going to be there, it’s going to strengthen people’s rights” (CSO6). There was some concern expressed about the resourcing of the Strategy. PB5 noted that previous experience of the implementation of the racial equality strategy was various initiatives were required but without funding to achieve them: “… there was a whole list of asks in relation to the racial equality strategy… And we’re saying, we haven’t been given anything extra, we don’t have enough to do what we have to do right now… So, there’s all the plans but no resourcing behind them” (PB5).
22 | Access to Public Services and Access to Justice for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Northern Ireland
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