Departmental Data

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

Questions (439)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

439. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline the number of offers that his Department has received by private landowners and developers to build modular homes for accommodating beneficiaries of temporary protection; the estimated number of planned units contained within such offers; and the average cost per unit across the offers put forward, in tabular form. [20395/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy.

My Department launched an online portal for developer-led modular accommodation on gov.ie where providers could submit expressions of interest in November 2023. The portal sought offers for developments with a capacity of up to 200 BOTPs, encompassing the site, units and all management services associated with them. Modular accommodation may potentially provide a further sustainable medium-term solution to assist in meeting overall accommodation requirements, allowing BOTPs to integrate into communities and possibly setting the stage for future housing development at sites. This programme will help establish the feasibility of the approach from a cost perspective and the capacity of the private sector to deliver appropriate solutions.

My Department has currently paused accepting new Expressions of Interest for modular residential developments to accommodate Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs).

We are currently working on reviewing 129 No. modular Expressions of Interest. At this stage in the process it is not possible to quantify the number of units or the average cost per unit. Engagement with the relevant Local Authorities is also being undertaken as part of the review process.