Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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224. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the response of his Department to the Ukrainian war crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13726/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has acknowledged the scale and scope of the potential implications for the State arising from the conflict in Ukraine and has agreed that a coordinated, whole-of-Government response will be essential in response.

Given the potential implications for a wide range of Departments, the Department of the Taoiseach has convened interdepartmental meetings to further assess the implications of the activation of the temporary protection measure. My Department is involved in these meetings.

In the immediate-term, my Department is working with the Department of Equality, Children, Disability, Integration and Youth (DECDIY) and exploring options to meet the temporary accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine and coming to Ireland.

The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), based in DECDIY, is currently managing arrangements to receive those fleeing the conflict into IPAS accommodation, either directly from airports to IPAS or to family and from there to IPAS. In terms of offers of assistance for accommodation coming in through local authorities or the public, the Red Cross will be the centre point for these offers and will liaise directly with DECDIY on same.

There are already provisions in planning legislation to deal with emergency situations of this nature, which have been used in the past, such as in response to the Syrian refugee crisis or during the COVID pandemic. These provisions allow for the development of new facilities and structures, or for the conversion or repurposing of existing buildings in certain circumstances, without planning requirements, and to provide other appropriate solutions that may be useful in dealing with this current crisis for any displaced persons arriving from Ukraine.

My Department continues to liaise with DECDIY on further development of plans to accommodate Ukrainian’s fleeing the crisis in the weeks ahead.