Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

International Protection

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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1235. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department will provide IPAS accommodation to a person (details supplied). [1311/25]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Thank you for your question, Deputy.

While the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) cannot comment on individual cases, my Department provides a dedicated helpdesk for applicants to ask questions or raise concerns. This can be accessed at any time by email to .

At this time, there are approximately 3,200 people seeking international protection who have not been offered accommodation. This is because, since the end of 2023, IPAS has not had enough accommodation to offer spaces to all applicants.

While not all unaccommodated applicants are rough-sleeping, IPAS teams arrange offers of accommodation to people seeking international protection who are. People are identified to IPAS through awareness and a daily outreach referral process that IPAS has in place.

Drop-in day services are also provided for unaccommodated people who wish to avail of them. In such centres, people seeking international protection can access facilities including hot showers, meals and laundry services seven days a week. In addition to the steps above, where possible, temporary shelter is also offered to new applicants arriving during weather warning periods.

My Department also continues to develop and source accommodation for international protection applicants in locations all over the country, as part of implementing the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for international protection. The Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy 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.

Intensive efforts are underway to source and bring into use suitable accommodation facilities, and to move over time toward a greater provision of State-owned beds, in line with the strategy.

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