The Minister of State with responsibility for integration, Conor Lenihan, has expressed concern that some Dublin suburbs are becoming too concentrated with foreign nationals and that new steps are needed to create more sustainable communities, writes Carl O'Brien, Social Affairs Correspondent.
The high use of rent allowance in areas of Tallaght and west Dublin meant that any foreign nationals in receipt of rent allowance were renting in investor-owned housing estates and apartment complexes, he said.
He also warned that Irish parents were becoming increasingly concerned that their children would suffer from a lower standard of education in schools where there were large numbers of foreign national students.
When asked if there were signs of what US commentators called "white flight" - where white people move away from racially-mixed neighbourhoods - Mr Lenihan said: "There is a concentration of non-Irish nationals in particular areas. It's essentially driven by the rent subsidy scheme. We'll have to work with local authorities to address this."
He added: "There are also fears among Irish parents that their children are falling behind where the numbers of non-Irish students are particularly high. The fear is that Irish parents will just move on and take their kids elsewhere."
While foreign nationals will ultimately move from the rent subsidy scheme on to local authority housing lists, he said this could pose problems as Irish nationals compete with immigrants for housing. "It will be a big change and it will be a big issue with our own people. That will create its own tension," he said.
Mr Lenihan said the Government is examining a number of policy options to help address these issues, such as "subtle" changes in rent allowance and greater input from local authority social inclusion units to help ensure there is a social mix in neighbourhoods.
In the area of education, he said officials were looking at introducing common enrolment policies for schools to ensure individual schools cannot discriminate against non-Irish national students.
Separately, Mr Lenihan said the provision of English language courses aimed at foreign national adults will be a key plan in the Government integration strategy. One of the major failings of integration plans in other countries such as France was that second or third generations of immigrant families often did not know the language of their adoptive home.
He also said the Government will introduce citizenship ceremonies for immigrants who become naturalised. The concept could also involve young people when they turn 18.