MIGRATION:Some €9 million has been allocated to the new Office of the Minister for Integration, which has been led by Minister of State Conor Lenihan since its establishment in June.
Mr Lenihan said the funding, which compares with €5 million allocated by the Department of Justice to integration initiatives last year, reflected the "major emphasis" placed by the Government on the integration of legally-resident immigrants. It would "greatly facilitate the economic, social and political integration of new immigrants into Irish society."
The funding would allow him to pursue his plans to "ensure that our growing immigrant population [ will] achieve successful integration and continue to be a major asset to Irish society", he added.
The Minister stressed that the funds for his office were "only part of the Government's commitment to integration". Funding aimed at migrants is also contained in the allocations for several other departments, and it is understood the Department of Education will provide details of its own plans today.
A spokeswoman for Mr Lenihan said his integration budget would be spent "in the general context of mobilising and encouraging all institutions to achieve defined integration objectives". The Minster recently suggested grants would be made available to local authorities, ethnic associations, faith-based groups and political parties to further integration.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) welcomed the Budget's inclusion of initial funding for the Minister's office but expressed concern about "whether funding allocated to the Department of Justice will allow the department to tackle the current blowout in processing times for applications, and allow for the establishment of an independent appeals mechanism for immigration decisions as promised in the Programme for Government".
"The ICI also welcomes the funding announced to build more primary schools and hopes this will allow for better planning to respond to population growth," it added in a statement.
The council also noted with concern that there was no reference in the Budget to the provision of English language courses for adult migrants.
The Irish Refugee Council condemned the Government's decision not to increase the €19.10 weekly allowance for asylum seekers, describing it as a "miserly and inhumane freeze". The figure has not increased since its introduction in 2000.
"We cannot see how the Government can justify freezing this allowance for yet another year. It was not adequate when it was first introduced in 2000, and after eight years of inflation this allowance has become even more difficult to survive on - forcing people into even greater poverty," said chief executive Robin Hanan.
"The Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen, referred in his Budget speech to protecting the 'vulnerable' and the 'weaker' members of society. I am deeply disappointed that this concern does not appear to include asylum seekers who come to this country having fled their own and seeking protection for themselves and their children."