Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
1169. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the consultation undertaken by his Department in relation to his decision to locate IPAS applicants in a hotel (details supplied) both within and outside his Department, to include all third parties consulted or from whom advice was sought or/and received including Louth and Meath County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12547/24]
View answerIn respect to consultation undertaken by the Department to accommodate International Protection (IP) applicants at the D Hotel, once an offer of accommodation is received by the International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS), the proposal and any supporting documentation is reviewed to assess the suitability of the premises that is offered for use as accommodation.
Before contracts are issued, observations are sought from the relevant local authority in terms of fire and planning requirements and properties are also subject to pre-occupancy inspections to ensure they are adhering to the requisite standards.
IPPS contacted Louth County Council regarding the use of the D Hotel on 31st January in the usual way, with an email which sought their observations on the potential use of the property for the accommodation of international protection applicants. A response was received from the Local Authority by email on 7th February.
There are nearly 28,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom 6,356 are children) compared with nearly 20,000 people at this time last year. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now accommodating over 100,000 people in state-supported accommodation.
Intensive efforts are being undertaken daily by staff in DCEDIY to source emergency accommodation. However, procuring enough bed space to keep pace with incoming arrivals remains extremely challenging, leading to the current accommodation shortage.
