Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2024
502. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number, county location and cost of land purchases made by the Government in order to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and people from Ukraine in each of the past ten years. [22466/24]
View answerIn February 2021 A White Paper to End Direct Provision and establish a new International Protection Service was published. The paper set out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection in Ireland and contains three core themes – accommodation, integration and supports. There is a legal obligation on the state to meet the requirements under the EU Recast Reception Conditions Directive to provide accommodation to all who request it.
In 2022 and 2023 Ireland experienced unprecedented numbers of new IP arrivals with over 26,900. To put this in context the total number of applications received in 2022 and 2023 (26,900) is greater than the total received over the preceding eight year period, 2013-2021 (23,369). These very significant arrival numbers have continued in the first months of 2024, with the highest number of applicants, over 7188, received from January to April according to IPO published statistics. This represents a 98% increase when compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
On the 27th March 2024 Government agreed a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection applicants. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure the State will always be able to meet its international commitments.
Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the following multi-strand approach:1. Use of State land for prefabricated and modular units2. Conversion of commercial buildings3. Targeted purchase of medium and larger turnkey properties4. Design and build of new Reception and Integration Centres5. Upgrading of IPAS Centres
As detailed in the strategy, accommodation will be delivered through a blended approach of purchasing, turnkey deliverable and delivery on State owned sites. The breakdown of dedicated state owned Reception and Integration and Accommodation Centres will be dependent on the opportunities that arise from the multi-strand approach.
Regarding the number, county location and cost of land purchases made by the Government in order to provide accommodation for asylum seekers, no land has been purchased to date for this purpose. However, 37 properties have been purchased to date. These properties are a mix of 2/3/4 bed apartments and houses and some larger properties (10 bed plus). The properties are located across 12 counties (Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford).
Additionally, an Expression of Interest (EOI) process has been launched by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for the sourcing of suitable properties for acquisition or lease as International Protection accommodation. With regards to the Ukraine query, to date, approximately 107,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and over 84,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State. Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe was immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types were contracted, hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs, hostels, self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings. All accommodation contracted by this Department is temporary in nature, and BOTPs are advised of this when requesting emergency accommodation. My Department has not purchased any land to accommodate BOTPs since the start of the war. Since 14 March 2024, under a revised policy, anyone fleeing the war in Ukraine, who registers for temporary protection and is looking for State-provided accommodation in Ireland, will be accommodated for a maximum of 90 days. They will be provided with food, laundry, other services and integration supports in Designated Accommodation Centres (DACs). When they leave the DAC, or if they make their own accommodation arrangements on arrival, they will be entitled to apply for standard social welfare assistance equivalent to Irish citizens subject to meeting the eligibility conditions.
