Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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388. To ask the Minister for Health if he has received a request from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to identify properties under the control of his Department or under the control of agencies under the remit of his Department for the purposes of providing accommodation to international protection applicants or beneficiaries of temporary protection; if he has identified potential properties and their locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7938/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that I have received a request from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in relation to properties under the control of my Department, or under the control of agencies under the remit of my Department, which may be suitable for providing accommodation to international protection applications or beneficiaries of temporary protection.

My Department has engaged with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) over the course of 2022 and will continue to do so, in relation to the sourcing of properties which may be suitable for use in providing this accommodation.

As part of this engagement my Department has provided to DCEDIY a comprehensive list and overview of those properties currently owned by the HSE and surplus to health service requirements which may be suitable for the provision of accommodation. Some 300 properties were identified in the overview and details of these properties were provided to DCEDIY in 2022.

In addition to the comprehensive list of properties, the HSE have also seconded a key member of their estate accommodation team to the Interdepartmental Ukrainian Refugee Accommodation response.

My Department and the HSE will continue to contribute to the important issue of sourcing suitable accommodation and stand ready, as they have to date, to continue to engage with DCEDIY to identify any further opportunities to expand the list of properties already identified.