Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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157. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of international protection applicants who have undergone an assessment for eligibility under the Child Care Act 1991 and the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 with Tusla, the child and family agency to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52215/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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158. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the breakdown of decisions by Tusla following eligibility assessments of international protection applicants under the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52216/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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159. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide further details on the statement in Budget 2023 that accommodation for vulnerable applicants will be developed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52217/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the current system of accommodation for International Protection applicants and replace it with a new model that is based on a not for profit approach. As part of this process I published A White Paper to end Direct Provision and to Establish a new International Protection Support Serviceon 26 February 2021. This paper sets out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection in Ireland and will replace the current system including providing specific supports and tailored accommodation for vulnerable applicants.

As per the White paper model it is intended to commission Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) to provide targeted social care supports to meet the diverse needs of people in the International Protection system. This will include a programme to deliver a range of accommodation for vulnerable applicants. The vulnerability assessment process will determine the level of supports and the types of accommodation provided.

It is planned that the first accommodation for vulnerable applicants will be rolled out in 2023.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of international protection applicants who are accommodated in tented accommodation; and the location of those sites in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52218/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy, the pressure on the State to accommodate over 58,000 people currently has led to significant shortages, particularly for those seeking international protection. All of the limited accommodation capacity within the IPAS system is currently being used, with any remaining applicants being moved to the Citywest Transit hub on a temporary basis.

Officials continue to seek accommodation solutions to the increasing numbers of International Protection arrivals. Given the significantly increased numbers of arrivals in the context of accommodation shortages, the Department has no option but to consider all offers of accommodation.

Emergency centres have been opened in all parts of the country. There have been a total of 30 accommodation locations utilised since January across 13 counties. These options are necessary in order to provide shelter to international protection arrivals and to prevent homelessness.

The Department is availing of all offers of accommodation made to it, including the use of office buildings, sports facilities and tented structures, to address the accommodation shortfall.

There is currently tented accommodation at three locations with 319 people accommodated. The details are set out in the table below:

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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161. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons currently accommodated in a hotel (details supplied); the capacity of that hotel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52219/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.

The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months. My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here.

To date, more than 53,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 42,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State.

Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, my Department has contracted in excess of 33,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 500 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings. The priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation.

The Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people seeking protection in Ireland as part of the European Union's overall response. The scale of response to this crisis has been unprecedented and Irish people have displayed a commendable level of generosity in their support and pledges of accommodation.

Regarding the matter raised, I am advised by my officials that the hotel in question has all of its 764 bedrooms contracted to the Department and there are currently 1,704 beneficiaries of temporary protection orders accommodated there. The hotel is considered at capacity with this number.

I trust this information is of assistance.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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162. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons in accommodation provided by the International Protection and Accommodation Service who have refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain; if he will provide a breakdown of their location by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52220/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The below table sets out, by local authority area, the number of people with status in International Protection Accommodation Service accommodation. These figures are correct as at 14 October 2022 and take into account people who have been granted status up to and including 14 October 2022.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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163. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of minor international protection applicants who are sharing a room with an adult who is not their parent or guardian; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52221/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy, the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) can confirm that no minor international protection applicant is accommodated in the same room as an adult that is not their parent or guardian.

This is in line with IPAS accommodation and the relevant child safeguarding protocols.

I trust this information clarifies the matter.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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164. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the asylum, migration and integration fund; when an open call for funding will be launched; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52222/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In response to the significant increase in demand for Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) supports arising from the war in Ukraine, the EU adopted emergency measures. This involved an extension of the overall 2014-2020 AMIF programme, and the option for Member States to re-purpose unused funds under any heading, to be used to provide additional supports to organisations involved in supporting Ukrainian refugees. My Department opted in to these amendments in July 2022 and then held a closed Call for Proposals, limited to the 19 projects which had been approved funding under the 2019 AMIF Call for Proposals. Applications are currently being reviewed in line with the available budget for 2022 and 2023.

The draft 2021-2027 AMIF programme for Ireland is currently being reviewed by the European Commission. When it is adopted, it is my intention to hold a full open AMIF call for proposals in early 2023.