I propose to take Questions Nos. 1050 to 1053, inclusive, 1066, 1088, 1089, 1095, 1096 and 1176 together.
On Saturday 16th March, the Department offered International Protection (IP) applicants occupying tents at Mount Street an alternative location to pitch tents. This was done in cooperation with Dublin City Council due to the emerging public health and security risks. IP applicants were brought to Crooksling where they were provided with access to toilets and showers, health services, indoor areas where food is provided, facilities to charge phones and personal devices, access to public transport to and from Dublin City Centre and 24 hour on-site security.
Drop-in day services remain available to all persons not offered accommodation by the department who pitch a tent on Mount Street, as well as other persons found to be street homeless, who wish to avail of them. In such centres, IP applicants can access facilities including hot showers, meals and laundry services seven days a week at these service locations.
The Department has arrangements in place for the provision of these services with Mendicity, Crosscare, Capuchin Day Centre and Tiglin at the Lighthouse. The Department is in also in regular contact with the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, the Dublin Simon Community, Streetlink Homeless Support Outreach service and others, particularly with regard identification of particularly vulnerable individuals.
Issues relating to public order and the removal of tents from public areas are matters for An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice. Similarly, it does fall under the remit of this Department to comment on the success of business and enterprise in the area.
There are currently over 28,500 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now accommodating over 100,000 people in state-supported accommodation
Department officials are working tirelessly to bring more bed spaces into use, and since January 2022 have brought over 200 properties into use to accommodate those who arrive in Ireland seeking international protection (IP). This brings the total number of IPAS centres to 280.
There were over 4,800 arrivals seeking IP accommodation in the first 13 weeks of 2024. This is an 86% increase from this time last year (2,614).