Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 November 2022
782. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the number of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the State under the temporary protection directive but who have not been assigned accommodation. [55156/22]
View answerSince the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.
My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. The latest figures from the Department of Justice show that there have been 62,371 Temporary Protection Orders granted. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) are entitled to make their own private arrangements and a significant cohort have chosen to do so, many staying with friends or family.
However it is the case that the majority of BOTPs do seek accommodation from my Department and we have in place an effective system for placing beneficiaries in accommodation, centred on the City West Transit Hub. As the Deputy may be aware, I was required to pause new arrivals at City West on 20 October last due to overcrowding.
The pause remains in place. The Citywest Transit Hub team is reviewing admissions on a daily basis. Where it has sufficient accommodation, all are admitted. If it does not have sufficient accommodation, priority is given to vulnerable persons. It is currently in a position to admit all of those seeking accommodation.
At this time, all of those initially refused and for whom DCEDIY had correct contact details have been contacted and subsequently offered accommodation. As of 4 November, there were 35 newly arrived BOTPs at City West waiting to be assigned accommodation elsewhere.
As of the same date, there are 43,411 BOTPs in accommodation directly provided by my Department, in addition to 4,718 beneficiaries accommodated in properties pledged through the Irish Red Cross Portal. As mentioned above, some BOTPs have been accommodated by private hosts outside of the formal pledge framework. This is reflected in the fact that, as of 4 November, €6.6mn has been paid in Accommodation Recognition Payments in respect of 8,439 beneficiaries across 3,822 properties.
