Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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182. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the engagement he has had with the Minister for Health on healthcare workers ordinarily residing in direct provision and who are availing of the temporary accommodation scheme being requested to move to unsuitable accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24836/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the closure or otherwise of temporary accommodation premises for the housing of frontline healthcare workers operated by the HSE is entirely a matter for the HSE.

The Social Inclusion Office of the HSE has assured the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of my Department that there are no plans to discontinue its accommodation scheme and has further agreed with the IPAS to inform them of any changes to, or cessation of, the HSE accommodation scheme which may necessitate the return of international protection applicants to IPAS accommodation. IPAS will continue to engage with the HSE to ensure that arrangements to re-accommodate applicants in their original IPAS accommodation, or as close to it as possible, can be made in advance.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, IPAS has made every effort to retain accommodation for residents who chose to avail of the HSE temporary accommodation scheme or who decided to move to other temporary accommodation during the pandemic. However, it has not been possible in every case to retain the original accommodation. For instance, where the accommodation premises is no longer retained under contract with my Department or where a centre has been re-profiled in terms of its room make-up to meet changing demands, the accommodation may no longer be available.

Another issue that has arisen is that IPAS has not always been made aware that a resident who left their IPAS accommodation centre was working in the healthcare sector and left to take up accommodation in temporary HSE accommodation. In such cases, the resident’s original accommodation may not have been retained. In these circumstances, the healthcare workers would be required to re-apply for IPAS accommodation.

In such circumstances, IPAS will endeavour to ensure that alternative like-for-like accommodation is provided as close as possible to their previous accommodation. Persons who wish to return to their IPAS accommodation should engage with the IPAS as soon as possible to ensure that the most appropriate accommodation available is provided. Any resident returning to IPAS accommodation must quarantine in an IPAS isolation facility for a period of 14 days prior to moving to IPAS accommodation. This is to reduce the risk of Covid infection within accommodation centres.