Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for this question. I acknowledge the efforts of the people of Borrisokane over the past four or five years in helping people feel at home.

Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase in people seeking international protection. The arrival numbers remain significantly elevated. In the first 20 weeks of 2024, nearly 8,000 people arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, averaging 398 per week. This was more than five times the average from 2017 to 2019.

The highest weekly number of applications in 2024 was more than 610.

As of 12 May, there are 30,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service system as a whole compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. More than 1,800 single men are awaiting an offer of accommodation from IPAS currently and receiving an increased expense payment in lieu of that offer. As at 30 April, there were in excess of 5,000 persons with status or leave to remain residing in IPAS accommodation.

Under the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018, those who have had their application determined are no longer entitled to material reception conditions. However, the IPAS continues to accommodate those with status, until such time that they progress into the community.

Riverside accommodation centre in Borrisokane is a contracted international protection centre. To ensure IPAS accommodation centres are available to those currently being processed through the international protection system, IPAS is currently offering transfer to those who have had been granted international protection or leave to remain the greatest length. Single adults and couples who have status for nine months or more, and families who will have status for two years or more are currently being offered a transfer to alternative IPAS accommodation.

Those families, who in July 2024 will have reached two years with status, have been advised of transfer in Borrisokane to alternative accommodation in July 2024. Each family was notified in writing of this in February and March 2024. In recent months, officials have held a number of in-person meetings with those impacted and advised that a transfer to alternative accommodation was under consideration.

The IPAS transition team works in collaboration with Depaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust, the Department of housing and local authorities to support residents with status to exit IPAS accommodation and access housing options.

Those with status have the same housing entitlements as Irish citizens and are supported to register with a local authority and, if required, to avail of the housing assistance payment to secure alternative accommodation. In addition, those with status have the same social welfare entitlements as Irish citizens.

In 2023, more than 2,000 people with a form of status progressed into the community from IPAS. Already, over 1,600 people have done so in 2024.

I understand there were meetings in June 2023 and March 2024 with the dedicated IPAS transition team to set out the position and alerting residents to the existence of the available supports. Residents in Borrisokane also have direct support from integration workers from Peter McVerry Trust who support residents in accessing housing supports.

To reiterate, when Riverside accommodation centre opened at the end of 2019, 7,683 people were accommodated in IPAS accommodation. We currently accommodate over 30,000 people and have a significant number of people awaiting an offer of IPAS accommodation. I can come back to the Deputy with a little more information in a supplementary reply.

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