The International Protection Procurement Services (IPPS) assessed the proposed property for use as International Protection accommodation as per a proposal form issued to the Department on 7th September 2023.
On the basis of the information received both in the proposal and the appraisal questions issued by IPPS, a draft agreement was issued to utilise the property for International Protection accommodation from 6th November.
It has since come to light that the property was not simply operating as a commercial hostel, as per the proposal, but had also been providing homeless accommodation to Tipperary County Council and had been doing so as part of a long-standing arrangement between the owner of the hostel and the local authority.
IPPS subsequently received confirmation from the local authority that the property has been used as homeless accommodation, and there is no way to use any part of it without directly impinging upon the provision of homeless accommodation services in Cashel Town and Tipperary County more broadly.
The Department recognises that this outcome is disappointing, however, it notes that had it been made aware of the fact that the property was in use as homeless accommodation in the original proposal form that the appraisal would not have progressed to this point and would have been rejected due to its current use. The Department has made the decision not to use Cashel Town Hostel as accommodation for International Protection applicants (IPAs) as to do so would impinge upon the provision of homeless accommodation services in County Tipperary.
