Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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771. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the situation at a location (details supplied) and the plans to remove Ukrainians and replace them with IPAS applicants; if the Minister will meet with a group of residents to discuss their concerns regarding the use of this hotel for IPAS residents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7737/25]

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

As you are aware, there is an ongoing shortage of accommodation for international protection applicants, and work is ongoing to source suitable accommodation and ensure the State can meet its legal and humanitarian duties.

At the same time, the need for accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine is decreasing across the country, and this is expected to continue. We are now directly providing accommodation for about 27,000 people from Ukraine, down from a high of just under 60,000 in 2023.

Need is reducing because people are finding their own accommodation, moving to other areas, many (almost 23,000) are working now, and others are choosing to move outside of Ireland. A lot of accommodation centres are group sites, like hotels or student accommodation, so when people move out, vacancies arise at the centres.

The Department is responding to this change. We are balancing our duty to support those in need of ongoing temporary accommodation and our need to ensure value for public money spent on vacancies in our centres. In 2024, this accommodation cost approx. €1.2bn to the State.

During 2024, contracts with 420 accommodation centres ended, and over 12,000 beds were returned to the tourism sector. Some contracts end due to compliance issues, and some are ended by the provider themselves. Further contracts will be ending in 2025, for many reasons, and this will result in vacant beds in many locations.

Discussions are ongoing with the provider of the property in question in relation to the continued accommodation of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection there. The provider has held discussions with the Department in relation to a providing international protection accommodation at Dundrum House Hotel. No offer has been accepted at this point in time. The community engagement team will continue to liase with the Deputy on this matter.