Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 96, 121 and 141 together.

As of 23 February, the State is providing accommodation to more than 27,400 international protection, IP, arrivals. In tandem with this, approximately 104,000 Ukrainian nationals have been granted temporary protection orders with more than 70% residing in accommodation provided by the State. In short, the State is under extreme pressure to provide accommodation.

In this context, there is very clear recognition across the House that the underlying assumptions on which the original White Paper published in February 2021 were based on do not match the reality any more. That was looking at a system of approximately 3,500 people seeking international protection on an annual basis, and that was based on an average of the previous ten years. Obviously, now, we see a situation where we had 12,000 people seek IP last year and in which 13,000 people sought international protection in the previous year.

My Department is, therefore, reviewing the White Paper. We are bringing forward a revised accommodation approach that tries to be as comprehensive as possible, particularly in recognising the urgent and immediate steps that need to be taken in terms of a situation where more than 1,000 people are unaccommodated right now, and the very real pressure of providing housing and accommodation for people in family units. However, it is also a recognition that we need to move to a longer-term, more stable system.

The system I inherited, which was absolutely focused on private provision, is not fit for purpose. We need to change it and the key element of that change means there has to be a central element of State-provided accommodation. That is what I am working to deliver in terms of the revised White Paper. We also have to recognise that the White Paper was not just about accommodation, albeit we absolutely and rightfully focus on that. However, the White Paper was about two other elements as well. It was about supports and integration. We have taken significant steps on both of those fronts. In terms of integration, for example, my Department announced finances and a local authority integration team in every local authority in the country. These are teams of four that are involved in working and linking both international protection applicants and Ukrainians with State services in that particular area, be they from the local authority or other areas. I believe 11 local authorities have got them fully up and running but all local authorities are funded for these posts. Again, they are funded directly from my Department. I really welcome the fact that the local authorities are becoming more involved in this integration space.

Other very practical supports in terms of integration include allowing international protection applicants to get a driving-----

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