Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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432. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the locations, by nearest village and town, of all accommodation centres for asylum seekers and-or refugees in the greater Dublin area, in tabular form. [2953/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As of 15 January 2023, there are 19,698 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole. This includes the National Reception Centre (466) and IPAS accommodation centres (6,887), temporary tented (81) and emergency (12,264) accommodation, this includes 1,086 people in City West Transit hub. Of this total, 4,086 are children.

The Department has accommodated over 15,000 International Protection Applicants (IPAs) in 2022. Currently, the number of new arrivals each day remains very high. In the first three weeks of 2023 alone, more than 870 IPAs have arrived in Ireland.

Since 1 December 2022, the Department has accommodated almost 1,500 people in over 25 emergency accommodation locations. These locations comprise of re-purposed office units, schools, former religious buildings and former hospitality accommodation.

The pressure to accommodate an increase of 330% in IPA arrivals in 2022 (from the 2017 to 2019 annual average of 3,500) has resulted in an acute shortfall of available accommodation.

The Department has made every possible effort to secure accommodation and has sought support from the widest possible range of organisations to provide accommodation to IPAs. Where request for tender processes have not delivered the required capacity, the Department has engaged in emergency accommodation sourcing through networks with other State accommodation providers such as the local authorities, through newspaper advertisements, through cold calling and the use of online booking engines.

In 2022, the Department has utilised all manner of buildings offered to it including office buildings and sports facilities such as Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Croke Park and the National Indoor Arena, Abbotstown.

The Department has utilised offers that have come through the Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI) for religious buildings such as seminaries and convents for IPAS accommodation.

The Department has reached out to other Government Departments such as the Department of Education for school and third level institution facilities; the Department of Defence for unused barracks and buildings; the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media for sporting and arts facilities; the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Office of Public Works for buildings that can be used to accommodate people. Many of the offers that have come through these requests have resulted in accommodation, both temporary and longer term.

The Department has also been forced to utilise tented accommodation to address the accommodation crisis for IPAs.

The Department in cooperation with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, introduced a planning exemption for the change of use of office buildings and other warehouse type facilities to assist in addressing the shortfall in IP accommodation. Unfortunately, the take up of this exemption by accommodation providers has been limited thus far.

Every offer of accommodation made to the Department has been carefully appraised and utilised once deemed suitable.

The Department continues to explore all offers of accommodation for IPAs in as far as it can. However, there remains an acute shortfall with respect to accommodation for single males in particular.

With all of this in mind Deputy, please see below as per your request a list of all locations by nearest village/town of all accommodation centres for asylum seekers and/or refugees in the greater Dublin area in tabular form:

Deputy, I trust this information clarifies the matter.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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433. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if accommodation will be provided for a Ukrainian refugee and their son (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3012/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy, as of 15 January 23, there are 19,698 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole. This includes the National Reception Centre (466) and IPAS accommodation centres (6,887), temporary tented (81) and emergency (12,264) accommodation, this includes 1,086 residents in City West. Of this total, 4,086 are children.

The Department has accommodated over 15,000 international protection applicants (IPAs) in 2022. Currently, the number of new arrivals each day remains very high. In the first two weeks of 2023 alone, more than 1,500 people have arrived in Ireland seeking shelter and safety.

Since 1 December 2022 to mid January, the Department has accommodated almost 1,500 international protection applicants in over 25 emergency accommodation locations. These locations comprise of re-purposed office units, schools, former religious buildings and former hospitality accommodation.

The pressure to accommodate an increase of 330% in IPA arrivals from 2019 to 2022 has resulted in an acute shortfall of available accommodation.

The Department has made every possible effort to secure accommodation and has sought support from the widest possible range of organisations and bodies to provide accommodation to IPAs.

In regard to your query, the international protection applicant referred to and their dependant do not appear to have made a request to IPAS for accommodation. According to our records they are currently residing in private accommodation. If they wish to request IPAS accommodation they may contact the IPAS helpdesk to seek advice.

The IPAS helpdesk can be contacted by email ipasinbox@equality.gov.ie.

It is also worth noting that Ukrainian nationals fleeing the war can be considered for a Temporary Protection status in Ireland. The people in question should contact the International Protection Office in this regard.

Deputy, I trust this information clarifies the matter.