Since 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.
The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months. My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here.
To date, more than 53,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 42,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State.
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 33,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 500 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings. The priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation.
The Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people seeking protection in Ireland as part of the European Union's overall response. The scale of response to this crisis has been unprecedented and Irish people have displayed a commendable level of generosity in their support and pledges of accommodation.
I can inform the Deputy that this particular planned move of BOTPs from Killarney did not proceed. My Department worked intensively to source alternative accommodation for those affected in Killarney and have been in touch with those concerned. However I need to be clear that it remains the case that we are not in a position to offer bespoke accommodation arrangements for everyone, particularly due to the increasing scale of the crisis.
Accommodation for new arrivals will continually need to be found throughout the Autumn/Winter period as my Department expects a further 10,000 people to arrive from Ukraine by year-end. The wider situation in regards to accommodation remains extremely challenging. Ireland is now accommodating 55,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants, compared to 7,500 last year.
Beneficiaries of temporary protection are of course entitled to make their own private accommodation arrangements, including potentially availing of pledged accommodation if they wish, and can avail of some supports to do so. To date, 4,665 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection have been placed in 1,748 properties and this number continues to increase weekly. Those wishing to avail of pledged accommodation in a given area should contact the local authority in that area for assistance.
