Written answers

Thursday, 24 October 2024

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

International Protection

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the plans for Columb barracks, Mullingar; the extent of the lease or licence secured from the Department of Defence, and if the area under licence will be broadened. [43580/24]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Government's Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for people seeking International Protection (IP) aims to address the current serious shortfall in accommodation for people seeking international protection and to build a more sustainable system for the longer term. This is now being implemented.

Accommodation in the new strategy is being 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.

To date, five state sites have been licensed to the Department including Crooksling, River Lodge, Heatherside (HSE), Thornton Hall (IPS) and Lissywollen, Athlone (OPW). Tented accommodation has been stood up at both Crooksling and River Lodge, with Thornton Hall and Athlone to be occupied in the coming weeks and months.

Columb Barracks

A tender process has been completed and a contractor appointed for the delivery of 40 modular 8 bed accommodation units on the Columb Barracks site in Mullingar. These units will replace the tented accommodation that is currently on the site for IP applicants and increase the bed space from the current 160 in tents to 320.

The delivery of the modular units is being carried out under a Ministerial Order which was signed and sealed for the delivery of 40 modular 8-bed accommodation units on the site.

The contract to develop this site was awarded at the end of May. The works on site have started and the first units are now on site. The current delivery timelines for this project is partial handover in mid-October with full-handover by mid-December 2024. This would represent a delivery time frame of just over 4 months from awarding of contract to Phase 1 delivery and full delivery of just over 6 months, which represents a very rapid pace of delivery.

The original licence for the site was for a period of 12 months commencing March 2023, with the option for an extension by one or more 3 month periods. Work is underway to renew the current licence with no plans to extend the area currently under licence. Columb Barracks remains under the remit of the Department of Defence, which still retains ownership of the overall site.

In addition to providing accommodation for international protection applicants, a portion of the licensed area was selected by Government in 2023 as a ‘proof of concept site’ to examine the potential of rapid build ‘pod’ style accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) fleeing the war in Ukraine. 62 modular units in total have been delivered as part of this project, accommodating up to 248 BOTPs.

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