Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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872. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of asylum seekers and refugees who are currently homeless in the State. [12303/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy,

The total number of international protection applicants (IPAs) in the State is a matter for the Department of Justice.

I am unable to comment on the exact number of IPAs who are currently homeless in the State as not all applicants seek accommodation from the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation.

Currently, there are just over 20,100 people accommodated in IPAS centres. This compares with circa 8,500 people accommodated at the same time last year.

IPAS is working intensively to procure additional emergency accommodation for those who have not been accommodated since the paused entry to Citywest began. This pause occurred in order to ensure the health and safety of all everyone in that facility.

As of 16 March, the total number of people who have not been accommodated by IPAS since the paused entry stands at 295. The total number of people who were originally not accommodated by IPAS but have since been offered accommodation stands at 322.

IPAS are currently contacting people who have arrived on 13 February to offer them accommodation and are operating a strict queueing system in chronological order of arrival date to ensure fairness.

Efforts to source emergency accommodation continue each day. However, the shortfall caused by elevated numbers of people arriving and hotel contracts coming to an end in March and April has placed my Department in an extremely challenging position. Emergency centres have been opened in all parts of the country. There have been over 90 accommodation locations utilised since January 2022 across 17 counties.

My Department will continue to work hard to find solutions.

The number of refugees who are homeless is a matter for the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.