Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023
556. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure a refugee family (details supplied) is facilitated to stay in accommodation as they have already integrated into the area, including gaining employment and children attending local schools. [29837/23]
View answerIreland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-government humanitarian response to assist over 84,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, of which 62,000 have sought accommodation from this Department.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, my Department has contracted in excess of 47,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 770 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings.
The priority is to place people fleeing the war in safe and secure accommodation.
My Department cannot provide a guarantee regarding temporary accommodation provision. I am advised by my officials that the Department is aware of issues that have emerged regarding this accommodation setting. I am further advised that officials are in direct contact with the contractor referred to and cannot comment any further pending conclusion of discussions.
The accommodation provided to people fleeing the war in Ukraine by this Department is temporary in its nature, and given the number of people that are being accommodated it is not possible to develop tailored solutions for individuals or families. We understand and sympathise that people may wish to be accommodated in specific locations for a variety of reasons, but we cannot facilitate these requests given the number of people wishing to be accommodated by this Department.
Beneficiaries of temporary protection are entitled to make their own private arrangements including potentially availing of pledged accommodation if they wish, and can avail of some supports to do so. To date, over 7,300 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection have been accommodated in over 3,200 pledged properties. Those wishing to avail of pledged accommodation in any given area should contact the Local Authority in that area or the Irish Red Cross pledge process. The Irish Red Cross can be contacted by email at registerofpledges@redcross.ie or by phoning 1800 50 70 70.
I also wish to draw attention to the Government announcement of November 2022 regarding the call for unoccupied houses. The campaign to assist those fleeing the war in Ukraine may be of interest in the context of this request and further information can be found at offerahome.ie/. Again, in the context of the above request, it is advisable to contact the relevant Local Authority (relevant County Council in the area persons wish to reside in). As of June 2023, over 3,500 beneficiaries of temporary protection have been accommodated under the Offer a Home Scheme.
More information on support available to Ukrainian people while they are in Ireland and information on how people and community groups can help can be found at the Government website: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/bc537-irelands-response-to-the-situation-in-ukraine/
I trust this information is of assistance.
