Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies O'Hara and McGrath for raising these important matters tonight and for allowing me, as Deputy McGrath said, to respond on behalf of the Minister.

I say to Deputy O’Hara that the Department recently announced that 98 beds for families seeking international protection will be provided at the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara. The property was previously used to house people who were beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive due to the war in Ukraine and was also used as an international protection accommodation services accommodation centre prior to 2022.

The community engagement team has been sharing information with local representatives and community groups since 18 March, including, as the Deputy said, a detailed briefing note, meetings and personal contacts. My information is that the engagement with the community has been extensive over recent months, and we will now progress to providing refuge to families at this location. In terms of the people from Ukraine who remain at the property, they will stay at the Merriman and will be accommodated under the new arrangements.

One of the queries raised during community engagement in Kinvara was the agreement to not contract IPAS accommodation in a given town’s only operating hotel. This was accepted by Government and was agreed to on the basis of not removing an important current amenity from public use. The hotel has not been in public use since the Covid-19 pandemic, and since 2022, it has been providing accommodation under contract to the Department. As such, it was not considered necessary to exclude it from consideration for this much-needed accommodation for families in need of shelter.

Deputy McGrath raised the issue of Dundrum House Hotel, which ceased operation as a hotel in 2015. There is a golf course, grounds and a hospitality business on site, which have remained open to the community while part of the site operates as an accommodation centre. The former hotel has been providing refuge to a peak capacity of 270 people from Ukraine since 2022, and to more than 50 international protection applicants since the summer of last year.

A new contract has commenced at this property, and the centre will provide accommodation to up to 277 people in families seeking international protection. This figure includes beneficiaries of temporary protection due to the war in Ukraine who were already being accommodated and is not therefore an increase in the overall capacity at this centre since 2022. The community engagement team has extensively engaged with the local community about this property since May 2024, including discussions on the potential accommodation of international protection applicants.

On 15 April 2025, the community engagement team sent a formal briefing note, including the name of the accommodation provider, the type and nature of accommodation to be provided and details about the services to be put in place. In terms of the provider themselves, the Department can consider offers of accommodation from a tax-compliant company, subject to compliance with statutory requirements and minimum standards. Offers of accommodation can be made by a property owner, leaseholder or other authority. As part of the Department's appraisal process, it can confirm if an offer has come from someone with the appropriate authority. The Department carries out due diligence on accommodation being contracted to ensure Companies Registration Office and tax compliance.

In line with EU trade arrangements, a company or company director from another EU member state may operate contracts within Ireland or work with an Irish business to do so. In terms of the contract in this case, the registered company named on the contract is a newly established entity that fully met the Department’s requirements. The company is part of a wider commercial group that has experience in providing international protection accommodation. Where the Department enters into a contract, the onus is on the accommodation provider to ensure all activities at the property are within legal limits.

The Department understands the local authority is in contact with the property with regard to planning matters, and as this is a large site with various distinct areas and uses, these matters are largely unrelated to the areas of the site contracted to the Department. The Department is also aware of ongoing court proceedings with regard to this property, which is not appropriate for me to comment upon. I assure the Deputy that should any action be required as a result of any court proceedings or the local authority’s engagement at the property, these will be addressed by Department officials as appropriate.

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