Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021
415. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 624 of 19 October 2021, the number of properties sourced to date for international protection applicants, broken down by whether these properties are within the private rental sector or not, in tabular form. [60527/21]
View answerOver the last number of months the Transition Team has been working closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Agency and the Local Authorities on developing the new accommodation model. This has included putting in place a policy to source and acquire properties. As part of this policy there is an emphasis on not competing with other groups including the private rental sector and the following has been put in place to mitigate against this:
- A focus has been placed on acquiring accommodation across the country and not focusing on one area. A Local Authority allocation key has been developed to help in this regard.
- A focus on larger properties, reflecting an interest in acquiring units where up to 10 people can be accommodated.
- Before proceeding with a property the profile of the current occupier is confirmed. If the property has sitting tenants, my Department does not proceed with purchasing the property.
As the project develops there will also be a focus on repurposing buildings through an urban renewal scheme which will aid in the rejuvenation of some of our towns across the country.
