Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is the lead Department for the provision of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. The role of my Department in this area is a supporting role, in the form of the Emergency Refurbishment (Ukraine) Programme (ERUP).

Decisions on which properties are suitable for progression through the programme are made by a Technical Working Group (TWG) working under the auspices of the Accommodation Working Group. Decisions are based on the proposal put forward by the property owner in conjunction with the relevant local authority and assessed by the TWG across various criteria which include location, access to transport links and local amenities, value for money, future potential use, timeframe for delivery and capacity.

Properties offered to the ERUP are subject to inspection and ongoing project oversight by the relevant local authority, to ensure compliance as per the guidelines, should they progress through the programme.

Local authorities are independent statutory bodies with democratically elected councils and their own management system. Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001, provides that a local authority is independent in the performance of its statutory functions. As you are aware, local authorities have a wide range of functions, responsibilities and statutory powers under various enactments, not all of which are relevant to, nor fall under the remit of this Department.

While I am precluded under the above mentioned act from commenting on or intervening in any individual case, should you wish to provide further information in respect of your specific query, I will be better placed to provide a more detailed update.