Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
387. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if an update will be provided on the work of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to identify vacant houses and other appropriate locations for the housing of Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18257/22]
View answerThe Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland as part of the EU response.
As part of its response, Government is providing accommodation through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) and is working closely with local authorities, including Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, to provide accommodation for Ukrainian arrivals in a variety of settings including:
- Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs;
- Accommodation pledged by the general public, which is being assessed for suitability;
- State-owned or private properties, which may be suitable for short-term accommodation;
- Religious properties; and
- Local authority community facilities
The Government is examining all options as part of its humanitarian response, including the accommodation issues arising in the short, medium and long-term and the responses to address these.
In this regard, my Department recently requested local authorities to identify and inventory potentially available ‘quick turn-around’, multi occupancy accommodation facilities. This includes properties that might already be configured, or which might need to be reconfigured, for multi-occupancy residential purposes.
There has been a strong response from local authorities to date and returns continue to be received and updated. My Department is currently collating these responses, which will be screened and validated for suitability for use as medium and longer-term residential accommodation in the coming weeks.
