Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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287. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons in accommodation provided by the International Protection and Accommodation Service who have refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain; and to provide a breakdown of their location, by county. [5431/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy, for your question.

Currently, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is providing accommodation to almost 33,000 people. Of these, about 5,400 are people who have been granted status or permission to remain in Ireland.

People applying for international protection do not have access to standard social protection or housing benefits. Where a person progresses through the application and review process and receives a grant of status or permission to remain in Ireland, their status in terms of access to housing becomes the same as other people living in Ireland and Irish citizens.

All those with Permission to Remain are written to once status has been granted and are advised that given their progress through the IP process, they will need to seek alternative accommodation. They are supported to register with a Local Authority and, if required, avail of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) to secure alternative accommodation.

A specific Transition team works in collaboration with Depaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust, and Local Authorities to support residents with status to move on from IPAS accommodation. During 2024, approximately 5,000 people with status progressed out of the IPAS accommodation system.

The Department is very mindful of the challenges that exist for people in trying to move on from the international protection system as there is significant pressure on housing availability within the private rental sector, social housing and housing market across Ireland.

The Department never allows people with status to be left without accommodation, even though there is no formal legal entitlement to provide people with status with accommodation. Sometimes, people with status will be asked to move location within the IPAS system, which operates under significant pressure on an ongoing basis.

Please see, in tabular format, the number of people with status currently resident in IPAS accommodation, by county, as of 11 February 2025.