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

I thank the Deputy for her engagement on this issue, about which we have spoken a number of times, and her constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, has also been in touch on the issue.

In January 2023, through the online offers portal on gov.ie, my Department received a commercial offer of temporary accommodation for beneficiaries of temporary protection fleeing the conflict in Ukraine at the location to which the Deputy refers. As the proposal involved a property requiring significant conversion and refurbishment works, in February 2023 the offer was referred to the emergency refurbishment (Ukraine) programme, ERUP, overseen by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and approved by Government.

As with all offers of accommodation to accommodate beneficiaries of temporary protection, but most particularly with regard to those requiring conversion or refurbishment, a detailed assessment must be carried out to ensure the property being offered is prepared to the required standard and complies with building, fire and other statutory requirements. The ERUP provides the structures to enable such assessments to take place with the assistance of local authorities.

The relevant council has assessed the plans for this proposal with regard to suitability, compliance with the guidelines for temporary accommodation in existing buildings for those fleeing the war in Ukraine, and the project's capacity to comply with key regulatory requirements. I understand that discussions in this regard are ongoing and any issues with regard to planning, environment or other regulatory requirements are being dealt with through that process.

I emphasise that my Department’s acceptance of this property is fully dependent on all the necessary statutory and regulatory requirements being met and the accommodation centre being substantially compliant with the aforementioned guidelines. In that regard, the property to which the Deputy refers is not currently in contract with my Department for the provision of accommodation to Ukrainians and will not be until the relevant conditions have been met. Our community engagement team informed the Deputy and other Deputies late last week of the current situation. There is currently no contract but we are engaging in respect of this property.

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