Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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36. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of international protection applicant refugees that are currently without accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39158/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Due to a number of well-documented factors, my Department has not been in a position to offer International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation to every adult male seeking IP since 4 December 2023. As of 26 September 2024, 2,756 people who applied for international protection (IP) since December 2023 have not been offered accommodation.

A triage process is in place for those who are vulnerable, and an enhanced expense allowance is available to those who have not been provided with accommodation. The Department has grant agreements in place with four homeless charities in Dublin to provide hot meals, showers, places to charge devices and rest. In addition to the extension of day services, the Department has partnered with a homeless charity to conduct outreach to identified locations where applicants are rough sleeping. When available, the Department makes offers of accommodation to eligible persons identified through this outreach. Over 1,500 offers of accommodation have been made to unaccommodated rough-sleepers referrals in the last 6 months.

The Government is committed to supporting all those seeking IP in Ireland and work is ongoing across the country to bring available accommodation into use to support our residents. The Department has increased IPAS capacity by more than 400% since 2020, from just under 7,000 people on 31 December 2020. Currently, there are over 32,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole.

This work is underpinned by the Government's Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for people seeking IP. This aims to address the current serious shortfall in accommodation for people seeking IP and to build a more sustainable system for the longer term.

Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the use of State land for prefabricated and modular units, conversion of commercial buildings, and targeted purchasing of turnkey properties.

It will also involve design and build of new Reception and Integration Centres and upgrading of IPAS Centres. This will be supplemented, as required, by high standard commercial providers