Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is important to understand that the quality of the accommodation we are talking about is significantly below that of direct provision or standard homeless emergency accommodation, for example. I know that because I go in and out of a few of these facilities. In general, these are large rooms with multiple beds or bunk beds in large communal spaces with outdoor portaloos and limited communal cooking or recreational facilities. It is even more basic than the basic level of emergency accommodation in direct provision. Due to the challenges that face the international protection accommodation service, we are seeing significant overcrowding in some of these facilities, including people sleeping on floors or on dining chairs that have been put beside each other. That is what we are talking about. My big concern is that the vast majority of this accommodation is not for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. To date, it has been for people seeking international protection. I have no objection to that whatsoever, but it is not an emergency. We have known we have not had sufficient capacity in the direct provision system for many years. The stresses on that system have been growing year on year since 2018. What will happen if this is extended to January 2029, as Senator Fitzpatrick said, is that we will fill these buildings with people. The standard of accommodation is inferior to the already substandard accommodation of direct provision. If we are lucky enough to be re-elected to this body, we will be having a conversation about what to do then. That is where we are going to be. I understand that the significant number of people fleeing Russia's unjust war in Ukraine has placed significant pressure on the system. I get that. It is more than 80,000 people. That is significant. However, the majority of the accommodation these exemptions apply to currently is not for Ukrainians, but for people in the international protection system. That is a fact.

My big worry is at a time when we are meant to be reducing direct provision and creating own-door human rights-compliant accommodation, we are just repeating history and creating a second tier of substandard direct provision accommodation under the guise of temporary exempted developments. That is not the Minister of State's portfolio. It is not Terry's challenge. He has enough challenges in life keeping him up at night for that. I really want to put on record that I am deeply concerned at the approach here. So people are under no illusion, it is not on any basis objecting to the State doing the right thing in terms of providing good quality accommodation to people fleeing war or persecution from anywhere in the world. In line with Senator Fitzpatrick and Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, I think we are creating a whole set of other problems. Why are we doing this? In fairness to the Minister of State, he has been very straight. The commercial operators of these buildings now know what the actual cost is to meet basic levels of fire safety. They are not willing to enter into six-month, 12-month or two-year agreements. They want a five-year agreement because it is only over five years that they can make a return and cover their costs for bringing things up to a basic standard.

Here we are in a short hour having a discussion around this. This committee has always been constructive when it comes to these issues. Our committee needs to put in an urgent request to the two Departments and their officials at the earliest opportunity that our schedule allows after the recess, which we can discuss at our next private meeting, to have the two Departments here and to have a full and frank discussion around where this is all going. I am deeply uncomfortable with what we are being asked to do. I want to do the right thing; I think all members here probably share this view. However, if I am lucky enough to be re-elected and to be sat here in 2028 or 2029, I do not want, in addition to having 7,000 people in direct provision, to have another 7,000 or 8,000 people in lower tier commercial building accommodation, and to be trying to work out what we do with those 15,000 people. That is before we even start talking about the 5,000 men, women and children accommodated by IPAS who should not be in that system but who cannot get out because of the housing crisis. I ask the Cathaoirleach to take on board the concerns. With no disrespect to the Minister of State, we need to have the senior Ministers responsible for these matters who sit at the Cabinet table, and their officials, before the committee. I am really worried about where all of this is going. I am not standing in the way but the Cathaoirleach can see my concern and the concern of other members. We need to return to this as a matter of urgency after the recess.