Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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367. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of report compliance concerns in relation to providers of temporary accommodation for Ukrainians benefitting from temporary protection or international applicants; the number of reviews carried out since June 2023; the details on the number and type of compliance issues, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27931/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department does not collate the data in the manner requested by the Deputy.

My Department oversees contractual compliance of its Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) accommodation portfolio through proactive and reactive inspections. Often investigations are initiated by investigating complaints my Department receives through its dedicated Ukraine ticketing system, from external partners such as the Local Authorities and NGOs, and through the work of its Compliance Team.

Investigations by the Compliance Team may result in a termination of a contract but in many cases issues can be addressed and rectified. Issues range from minor property concerns (e.g. repairs needed) to complaints regarding food quality, and also those which cannot be regularised and relate to more serious matters, such as overcharging, the use of secondary properties, health and safety and other concerns. It is the latter group that are prioritised for termination. Other contracts have and will be terminated for consolidation and administrative purposes and to address value for money concerns. Providers can also terminate contracts with my Department, as is permitted in their contractual terms.

Since the Compliance Team was established in June 2023, 255 providers have been investigated for compliance concerns which vary in nature. In this period, 69 providers with 125 properties between them have been terminated for compliance reasons and 57 providers have been regularised with compliance concerns addressed.

Approximately 6,500 BOTPs are associated with properties that have been reviewed by the Compliance Team, with moves resulting for 3,800 people. The number of providers on the DCEDIY compliance list changes weekly, and as stated not all of these will require termination.

IP

Regular inspections on International Protection accommodation are conducted after the award of contracts to check if compliance with contractual standards are continuously met. These inspections focus on, but are not limited to, assessing living conditions, facilities and the overall compliance with health and safety, and legal regularity standards. Inspections include both scheduled and unannounced visits.

International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation centres are currently subject to regular unannounced inspections by both my officials and by an independent inspection company. The aim is that these inspections are undertaken twice yearly by officials in IPAS and once yearly by the independent inspectorate company. This target has not been consistently met to date, however, additional resources are continuing to be applied in an effort to reach these targets.

There have been 224 Inspections carried out on centres accommodating International Protection applicants from January 2023 to date; this consists of 105 inspections in 2023, and 119 from January 2024 to present.

Following an inspection, a report is sent to the Accommodation Provider outlining all issues deemed to fall short of their contractual obligations for review. Any follow-up or corrective actions required by my Department are listed in the inspection report, and the provider is required to respond to the report within 14 days, showing how all requested actions will be undertaken as per contractual obligations within an agreed time period. Inspectors conduct follow-ups depending on the type of issues identified during the site inspection. Documentary proof of evidence of improvements is requested for my Department’s consideration. Contractual clauses relating to the remedies open to my Department for non-adherence to contractual obligations are applied as necessary.

Details of IPAS Inspection Reports are published by my Department and can be found on gov.ie

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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368. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if any financial penalties have been or can be issued where the provider of temporary accommodation for Ukrainians benefitting from temporary protection or international applicants have not met the required contractual standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27932/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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To date no accommodation provider for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) have received a financial penalty. Where there is non-compliance identified, a provider is prioritised for return inspections to see that the issues identified have been rectified or addressed. If still non-compliant, ultimately, the sanction is that my Department terminates the contract.

The contractual provisions allow my Department to terminate contracts at one month’s notice. When an accommodation contract is being terminated, the accommodation provider is notified by letter that their property will no longer form part of my Department's BOTP accommodation portfolio, starting the one-month notice period.

In relation to accommodation providers for International Protection (IPs) applicants, if a provider is deemed not to have met the required contractual standards, a percentage of daily costs under the price per resident per day may be withheld from payments to that provider. If the relevant issue is not resolved within two months, my Department may terminate the contract once the appropriate notice period is given.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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369. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if, through the recently announced relocation of Ukrainians benefitting from temporary protection he will prioritise the return of active hotel beds to local areas and economies; how this will be balanced against other criteria for ending contracts recently outlined by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27933/24]

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, in line with Government policy. This supports Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) to make longer term independent arrangements if they decide to remain in Ireland. As this is a temporary support, there is an onus on my Department to ensure that its portfolio of accommodation meets the evolving needs of the State’s response to the Ukraine Crisis.

I am grateful for the role that the tourism sector has played so far in accommodating BOTPs, but I am aware that this is not sustainable over the longer term. Due to this, the Government has agreed that a move from an emergency response to a more mainstreamed approach is appropriate, including through a reduced reliance on serviced accommodation, along with the development of other sources of accommodation such as refurbished properties, rapid builds and modular accommodation as part of the all of Government response to this humanitarian crisis, and the unprecedented numbers of people seeking asylum and refuge in Ireland.

In recent months we have seen decreases in arrivals from Ukraine to Ireland, decreases in those arriving who request accommodation from the State and greater numbers of Ukrainians who choose to move on from State accommodation. As a result, my Department is currently seeking to consolidate and rationalise its BOTP accommodation portfolio to ensure value for money and greater oversight.

My Department is making decisions to end commercial contracts in accordance with contractual terms and conditions agreed with providers, on the basis of financial, administrative, other accommodation management reasons or at the request of the accommodation provider. Officials are currently focusing on providers that are in breach of contractual terms.

Tourism properties such as hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses will be among those that are terminated by my Department as part of the consolidation exercise. These providers would be free to return to tourism operations after the BOTPs residing there have been relocated.