Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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500. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when his Department will facilitate Deputies in Kildare North to visit and examine the proposed site and facilities at Kill Equestrian Centre in advance of its opening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14808/23]

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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527. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the cost per person per night of the accommodation, food and so on to be provided at a facility (details supplied); if he will outline that same cost vis-à-vis that of a hotel setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15294/23]

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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528. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is satisfied that the ventilation systems proposed for the facilities at a location (details supplied) are at the required EU level of safety, particularly given the pandemic of Covid-19 is, according to the WHO, still ongoing, with the virus travelling practically unchecked around the world; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15296/23]

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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529. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is satisfied that the accommodation at a facility (details supplied) is suitable for families and their particular need for privacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15297/23]

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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530. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when adequate cooking facilities will be available at a facility (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15298/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 500 and 527 to 530, inclusive, together.

Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge following the invasion of Ukraine, with over 78,000 people arriving in Ireland, including 58,000 who have sought accommodation from this Department.

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 47,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 750 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings. In addition, more than 7,000 beneficiaries have also been accommodated in pledged accommodation properties.

The priority is to place people fleeing the war in safe and secure accommodation.

The Department has concluded discussions with the provider of temporary emergency accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine at the site of the former Equestrian Centre in Kill, Co Kildare. I met with representatives of residents of the Kill community on 23rd March to outline the full plans in terms of the use of the building, where the first group of 114 individuals from Ukraine is scheduled to arrive from April 24th. Further moves will take place over the following month, bringing the total number of people displaced from Ukraine residing at the centre to 340. There are no plans at this time to use the building or any part of the site to accommodate more people.

I am advised by my officials that the facility is being developed in accordance with current building regulations including newly built HVAC systems and that an appropriate fire certificate is in place. My Department has seen proof of appropriate insurance for the facility. The management of the company has experience in the commercial hospitality sector. A management office is located at the property, with out of hours security and contact arrangements in place. The facility will be staffed with a rostered team to include the facility manager, duty managers, night managers/security, food service staff and cleaners. There will be a 24/7 presence with a CCTV feed to a management office and the manager on duty will be contactable on the duty mobile number.