Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022
320. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he will become involved in the organisation of facilities and services for children and the parents of children and refugees of the war in Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15675/22]
View answerI can confirm that accommodation is being made available by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of my Department to those Ukrainian refugees in need of accommodation. IPAS is scaling up its operations as the number of arrivals increase.
My Department is currently sourcing accommodation from hotels and guesthouses. It has also engaged with the Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland, the Defence Forces, the Health Services Executive (HSE) and higher education institutions to identify buildings that could potentially be repurposed for use to accommodate refugees.
Local Authorities have completed a survey for the Department of Housing of buildings in their local areas that could be repurposed for this purpose. My Department is working actively with the Department of Housing and the City and County Management Association to extend the supply of buildings with the potential to accommodate refugees.
We appreciate that many people may wish to make offers of accommodation to support those persons seeking temporary protection in Ireland. The Government has worked with the Red Cross to put in place a national pledge. The website is available online through registerofpledges.redcross.ie. There has been a remarkable response by the public – already there have been over 20,000 pledges received.
My Department has published a FAQ document on its website to help aid any questions people may have and more information on supports and services has been published at www.gov.ie/ukraine.
