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

I thank the Deputy for the question. As of Sunday, 27 June 2021, there were 6,465 persons accommodated by the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, of my Department across 70 accommodation centres. Of this number, 71%, or 4,564, are being accommodated in centres that provide independent living facilities that include cooking facilities at least. A majority of these enjoy the full suite of independent living requirements, and 33%, or 2,158, have own-door access to their accommodation. In the 46 permanent centres, some 74% of the 7,719 bed spaces allow the resident full access to independent living, with 31% of total bed-space capacity being in own-door units where residents have private cooking facilities in self-contained units, such as apartments. Of the 24 emergency centres, nine provide independent living in the form of cooking facilities.

Regarding the numbers arriving and leaving, I can confirm that 1,007 persons entered IPAS accommodation in 2020 and that 465 persons had entered up to the end of June 2021. Between January 2020 and May 2021, 1,486 persons formally left IPAS accommodation. We do not have the numbers for the period up to the end of June just yet.

My officials are currently developing a tender process to secure additional accommodation for families with children, couples and single people seeking international protection. This is to ensure my Department has adequate capacity and can respond flexibly to increases in demand as they arise and move away from reliance on emergency accommodation. The aim of this process is to improve the quality of the accommodation and services offered to international protection applicants and to align more closely with the aims of the White Paper and with national standards. As the Deputy will be aware, independent living is central to the national standards.

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