Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it. To date, over 106,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and approximately 84,000 of those have been referred to my Department seeking accommodation from the State.

The offer to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection at the property to which the Deputy refers was rejected on 24 January 2024, as my Department is not currently seeking this format of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection.

As part of Government policy, a move to a more sustainable accommodation strategy is underway. My Department is now focused on the stand up of larger-scale designated accommodation centres for new arrivals and a reduction in the overall privately provided accommodation stock being used for BOTPs. My Department is also currently able to cope with arrival numbers in Designated Accommodation Centres, as well as for those who need to be moved due to contracts ending using vacancies arising within our existing portfolio.

It should be noted that while the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) are continuing to receive and assess offers of accommodation for persons seeking international protection, this property is not currently under consideration to accommodate International Protection Applicants.