Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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593. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are any plans to extend eligibility for the daily expenses allowance or an equivalent payment to international protection applicants living outside of designated IPAS centres, including those in the private rental market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23161/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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A payment equivalent to the Daily Expenses Allowance is currently being given to international protection applicants whom IPAS is unable to accommodate temporarily. My Department is currently examining whether or not the Daily Expenses Allowance could be given to applicants living outside of designated IPAS centres.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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594. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the attempts made to contact applicants for international protection who were not offered accommodation by IPAS between 24 January and 28 March 2023 to notify them of their entitlement to the daily expenses allowance equivalent payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23162/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As of 12th May there were 507 International Protection applicants (IPAs) that the Department has been temporarily unable to offer accommodation to. Since January 24th, a total of 628 people who were previously unaccommodated have subsequently been offered accommodation.

IPAS is now issuing unaccommodated people with weekly €50 euro vouchers. They are also entitled to a Daily Expenses Allowance (DEA) of €38.80 per week and this has been backdated to the point at which they applied for international protection. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) administer the DEA payment on behalf of DCEDIY to IPAs and are responsible for contacting those recipients in relation to their payment. IPAs can also apply for an exceptional needs payment from the DSP if required on a case by case basis.

All communications regarding the above issues are made through the communications channel provided on the day of presentation. In the main this will be either mobile phone and/or e-mail. Additionally, information is provided in hard copy on the day of presentation.

Information has also been shared with Crosscare, Mendicity, the Irish Refugee Council and the Capuchin Day Centre with regard to the entitlements available to unaccommodated persons. They are sharing this information with those who present to their services.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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595. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of vacant beds currently in all IPAS accommodation centres, including direct provision and emergency accommodation centres, broken down by county and type of centre, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23163/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Please find below, in tabular format, the number of vacant beds in IPAS centres across the country.

When new accommodation is procured , IPAS receives details of the configurations based on the number of rooms and room types available. That accommodation is then allocated based on the configurations of those who require it. As IPAS accommodation is demand led, it can be the case that where the latest arrivals are all single males, and there is family only accommodation available , the family only accommodation may not be filled at the outset.

It could also be the case that the available accommodation is suitable for smaller families and only larger families have recently arrived.

IPAS works continuously to match residents to the available accommodation to ensure accommodation is utilised in the most effective manner.

Once an accommodation location is in use, they are required to provide weekly returns outlining any vacancies that have arisen, which IPAS then used to accommodate IP applicants.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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596. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of people who have not been offered accommodation by IPAS since 24 January 2023, broken down by age bracket, gender and relationship status, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23164/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As of 12 May 2023, a total of 507 international protection applicants (IPAs) are awaiting accommodation. A total of 628 IPAs have received a retrospective offer of accommodation. Please see in tabular format, the number of IPAs awaiting accommodation, broken down by age, gender and relationship status as at close of business on 12 May.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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597. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if permission will be provided by IPAS in relation to the specific case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23256/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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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 extensively to accommodate over 82,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, of which 60,000 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, the Department has contracted in excess of 47,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 770 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings.

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

I am advised by my officials that direct contact has been made with the provider referred to and that this matter has been resolved.