Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 April 2024
129. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a list of all buildings that have asbestos that are providing accommodation for Ukrainian refugees and/or international protection applicants, by location, in tabular form. [15518/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) carefully appraises each property that is offered for use as accommodation for international protection (IP) applicants before contracts are issued, and properties are also subject to pre-occupancy inspections to ensure they are adhering to the requisite standards.
With 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.
Where the Department becomes aware of potential issues with a provider or where a specific concern is raised by residents, which might include a reference to the presence of asbestos, officials will request an inspection by an independent inspections company. Where appropriate, inspections are unannounced. The inspector will provide a report and any confirmed breaches of requirements are followed up with the accommodation providers. Failure to address contractual breaches may impact on payments to a provider or, in severe cases, could lead to the termination of contracts. We have no records of reports on the presence of asbestos.
When an offer is made to the Department to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP), the onus is on the provider to ensure that the property is of an adequate standard and that the provider will provide the services in accordance with good industry practice and comply with all applicable laws including but not limited to all obligations in the field of health and safety, environmental, social, child protection, and labour law that apply at the place where the services are provided.
