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

As the Deputy will be aware, since the start of last year the State has responded to the largest humanitarian crisis it has ever faced. In spite of the unprecedented pressures for accommodation, more than 100,000 people arriving in Ireland in that time have found shelter and safety here. Approximately 85,000 of those have been provided with accommodation through my Department and, of those, 21,000 are international protection applicants and 64,000 are Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection.

Notwithstanding that effort, we have since January been unable to offer accommodation immediately to all those who have sought it. I do not agree with the Deputy's characterisation of this as a policy decision. It is simply a lack of available accommodation and a matter of having to make determinations in the context of a limited supply of accommodation.

The State has a legal and a moral obligation to assess the claims of those who seek refuge and to provide accommodation and supports in line with the recast reception conditions directive. That is a duty I take very seriously and one I very clearly acknowledged we have not met to this group of people.

At close of business today, there were 189 people awaiting an offer of accommodation. More than 1,063 had previously been unaccommodated but have since received a retrospective offer of accommodation since their arrival in Ireland.

The State is dealing with a 600% increase in international protection applications since the start of 2021. This year alone, 5,880 additional beds have been secured to accommodate international protection applicants. My Department will continue to use all available means to procure accommodation in order that unaccommodated persons are accommodated as quickly as possible.

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