Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 January 2024
487. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of private residential houses and apartments he is using by way of contract under Class 20F of S.I. No. 605 of 2022 to accommodate prescribed persons. [4212/24]
View answerWith all new properties contracted by the Department to provide accommodation for International Protection (IP) applicants, the Local Authority have a regulatory role in verifying that properties meet the required building, planning and fire safety regulations. Once all documentation is received, the Department continues to engage with the appropriate fire certification authorities to ensure fire certification is up to date and once evidence of sign-off is received from the relevant authorities and provided to the Department, a contract is signed for the use of the property.
Statistics in respect of planning exemptions are not collated by the Department.
Class 20F of S.I. No.605 of 2022 permits the change of use of the following structures for the purpose of providing the necessary facilities for IP applicants: “school, college, university, training centre, social centre, community centre, non-residential club, art gallery, museum, library, reading room, sports club or stadium, gymnasium, hotel, convention centre, conference centre, shop, office, Defence Forces barracks, light industrial building, airport operational building, wholesale warehouse or repository, local authority administrative office, play centre, medical and other health and social care accommodation, event and exhibition space or any structure or part of structure normally used for public worship or religious instruction.”
The exemption does not include residential houses or apartments.
The conditions of this exemption can be located here:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/605/made/en/print
