Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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689. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of persons seeking asylum in Ireland who have been homeless at the end of each week, over the past three years, in tabular form. [54778/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In response to the current accommodation shortage, Cabinet has approved a proposal, in line with EU’s Reception Conditions Directive, for the provision of contingency supports for IP applicants who Ireland is not in a position to accommodate. The EU Reception Conditions Directive outlines the necessary reception conditions for receiving IP applicants. In line with this Directive, in circumstances where the State temporarily runs out of accommodation, the State can exceptionally offer different reception conditions.

IP applicants who are not provided with accommodation will receive a temporary increase of €75 to their Daily Expense Allowance bringing the total weekly payment to €113.80. All arriving applicants who have not received an offer of accommodation are provided with an initial voucher of €100 to provide support in advance of receipt of the increased Daily Expense Allowance.

Drop-in day services in Dublin are being provided to all non-accommodated persons who wish to avail of them. In such centres, IP applicants can access facilities including hot showers, meals and laundry services seven days a week. They also provide tents and sleeping bags, where required. Currently this Department has agreements with two charities to provide these services in Dublin.

Vulnerable persons are prioritised for accommodation in order to prevent rough sleeping in so far as possible. The Resident Welfare Team from IPAS in conjunction with colleagues from the HSE are based at the IPO throughout this period to conduct the triage procedure.

IPAS Contact details including a 24 hour Duty Phone number have been circulated to Homeless Charities in the Dublin area as well as to colleagues in An Gardaí Síochána and the Department of Social Protection.

The table below presents the total number of International Protection (IP) applicants who were awaiting an offer of accommodation from the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) at the end of each week. Figures for 2021 and 2022 are not included in the table as all applicants were accommodated in those years. Weeks in which there were no applicants awaiting accommodation are also not included in the table.

Please note that the below figures are cumulative, i.e. the figure at the end of each week represents the total number of people who were awaiting an offer of IPAS accommodation on that date.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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690. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of separated children or unaccompanied minors who have sought asylum in Ireland in each of the past 36 months. [54779/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.