Speech by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD at the Launch of Fourth Annual Monitoring Report on Integration 2013

Welcome
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to join you here today to launch the Fourth Annual Monitoring report on Integration 2013. I would like to begin by thanking Killian Forde, CEO of The Integration Centre, for his kind invitation to me to launch the report.

This comprehensive Report, which has been produced in collaboration with researchers from the Economic and Social Research Institute, follows on from similar reports over the last three years. It once again provides us with a useful insight into how migrants are faring in important areas of Irish life by reference to a number of key indicators.

The Report itself helps provide us with an objective way of assessing how Ireland is doing in terms of integration in a domestic context. It also helps us compare our efforts internationally as the indicators it uses mirror closely the core indicators on integration developed at EU level and agreed by Ministers at the Ministerial Conference on integration which was held in Zaragoza in 2010.

The issue of successful integration is one which I, as Minister for Justice and Equality, and all of my colleagues in Government, believe is of real importance in circumstances where the non-Irish national community accounts for 12% of our population and where we now have people from 199 countries living in Ireland.
It is important that we get our integration policies right because in that way we will help ensure that Ireland remains a society in which all persons are welcomed and valued as individuals, regardless of their background, race, colour or creed.

Citizenship
Much work has already been done to reduce the waiting times for those who have applied for citizenship, and I am glad that the successful efforts of my Department in this regard have been recognised in the report.

The citizenship ceremonies themselves have been very well-received conferring as they do citizenship on applicants in an environment more befitting the solemnity of the occasion than was previously the case. The ceremonies are also a very public way of recognising and welcoming into our community those who have taken the step of applying for citizenship.

Themes in the Report
I note that, like previous Reports, there has been a special focus on a particular theme. In this Report, it is those children who are second generation migrants. I will leave it to others here today to shortly comment on the detail of the Report. I would, however, like to echo one of the core messages of that chapter when it says that the outcomes of the second generation will be a critical benchmark by which our efforts in integration are judged. The Growing Up in Ireland study will provide an important resource into the future for monitoring trends in this regard. [ Please confirm I am right in saying this.]

I am also conscious in the context of another finding in the report that youth unemployment remains a cause for concern. We must ensure that, as the economy improves, opportunities must be made available to all of our citizens regardless of background.

Review of Ireland’s integration strategy
Many of you will be aware that a review of our approach to integration was launched in February which is being led by the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration, an Office of my Department. That review was intended in particular to follow up on the commitment in the Programme for Government to promote policies which contribute to integration and promote social inclusion, equality, diversity and the participation of migrants in the economic, social, political and cultural life of their communities.
The decision to launch the review, which I strongly supported, was motivated by a desire to ensure that Ireland should build on what has already been achieved in the area of integration. We want to ensure that Irish society remains one which is welcoming and tolerant of diversity and difference. That means we must be in a position to respond not only to the current challenges but the likely future challenges as well, including the particular challenges presented by the second generation which are highlighted in today’s report.

The review is being undertaken by a Cross-Departmental Committee of senior officials and it is chaired by a senior official from my own Department. The members of the committee are drawn form a wide range of Government Departments with an interest in, or responsibility for, integration. This review therefore affords us a valuable opportunity to review the State’s approach to integration and to build upon work already underway across Government. The final report of the Group is intended to provide the basis for a new and updated integration strategy.

I believe that it is of critical importance that the new integration strategy should be geared to present and expected future conditions and that it should help drive integration work forward at both a local and national level.

Public submissions
A call for submissions from the public was issued as part of the review process and to date over 80 contributions have been received. This has been a very positive response and one which I welcome.

Some of the organisations here today have made submissions and I am aware that some have already, as part of the public consultation process, also engaged in a face-to-face dialogue with members of the Committee.

I am aware that, for example, the Integration Centre met with representatives of the Committee last Monday and I understand that the Committee found that engagement very informative and helpful.

The process of consultation with those who have made submissions is very important in ensuring issues can be fully explored by the Committee members. This process of engagement will continue and I hope that those all who meet with the Cross-Departmental Committee as discussions progress will be open to providing their opinions and experiences.

The sharing of personal experience in particular can assist in ensuring that we build on that which we are doing well, and address areas in which we are not doing as well as perhaps we should be.

It is in line with this philosophy that the process of engagement itself has been planned so that it can feed in to and inform the deliberations of the Cross-Departmental Committee.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I can assure you that the issue of migrant integration will continue to be a priority for me as Minister for Justice and Equality, as it will be for my colleagues in Government.

I look forward to being kept informed of the work of the Cross-Departmental Committee which is in the process of reviewing Ireland’s approach to integration.

I am certain that the research material in this Report will be of benefit to researchers, policy makers and a wide range of organisations working with migrants, as it will be to the work of the Cross-Departmental Committee.

Thank you.