Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
International Protection
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1376. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if it is her Department's intention to use Thornton Hall as a site for IPAS accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11533/25]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The accommodation centre at Thornton Hall in North Dublin is an important part of the State’s implementation of the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for international protection.
Providing reception conditions – accommodation and other basic supports – to people seeking international protection is part of Irish and EU law and is also part of our humanitarian duty to provide shelter to people fleeing war and persecution in their home country.
Huge efforts are underway, within this Department and as part of a whole-of-Government response, to source and bring into use suitable facilities to provide shelter and safety to international protection applicants.
Over the last eleven months this Department has been focused on progressing the accommodation strategy published in March 2024. The goal is to develop a sustainable international protection accommodation system and enable the State to meet its legal and humanitarian commitments.
In August 2024, the Department put in place a Ministerial Order to provide a planning exemption for works on the Thornton Hall site, and initial works commenced on the site. In October, a Judicial Review was brought by representatives of local residents into the procedures that were applied in developing the Ministerial Order and this led to any further works on the site being paused.
The Department decided to set aside the Ministerial order in November 2024, and to undertake some administrative updates and develop a replacement order for this site. That process is underway, and works at the Thornton Hall site will remain paused while this is completed.
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is currently accommodating over 33,000 people in international protection accommodation, in over 320 centres all over Ireland. Due to the ongoing shortage of suitable accommodation for international protection applicants, over 3,500 people seeking international protection are still awaiting an offer of accommodation at this time. For this reason, the Department hopes to be able to progress this development as soon as possible.
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1377. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of expressions of interest received by her Department for the acquisition or lease of sites for international protection accommodation; when her Department expects to have assessed these submissions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11535/25]
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1378. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the plans in place in her Department to deal with IPAS accommodation now that the total numbers in IPAS have surpassed 33,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11536/25]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1377 and 1378 together.
Over the last eleven months this Department has been focused on progressing the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS), which was announced in March 2024.
The goal is to develop a sustainable international protection accommodation system and enable the State to meet its legal and humanitarian commitments.
Accommodation is being sourced and developed through a range of teams and a multi-strand approach that includes:
- Targeted purchase of medium and larger turnkey properties
- Use of State land for prefabricated and modular units
- Conversion of commercial buildings
- Design and build of new Reception and Integration Centres
- Upgrading of existing IPAS centres
- Supplemented by commercial providers, but phasing these out as more State services come onstream
113 submissions have been received to date. A two-stage process has been designed to assess the submissions, with the first phase assessing if a submission has met the essential criteria for the EOI, and the second stage being a more in-depth assessment, including full technical due diligence.
A team of technical experts has been mobilised to carry out the assessment process. The assessment of properties will continue throughout the year as new submissions are received.
In addition, work is ongoing to identify supply channels for commercial conversions, including empty office buildings, assessment of state-owned properties for suitability for refurbishment, and engagement on the acquisition of large-scale properties that have come to the Department through direct sourcing.
Alongside purchases and conversions, the strategy, and the new Programme for Government, also affirms the move toward using State-owned lands for accommodation development.
The first project developed under the strategy was the delivery of 40 modular units (320 beds) to replace tents on the Department of Defence owned Columb Barracks site. A contract to develop the site was awarded at the end of May 2024 and the 320 beds were handed over on the 20 December 2024. This represents a timeframe of just over six months from awarding of contract to full delivery, which represents a heretofore unseen speed of progress.
To build on this successful delivery, a procurement process to form a framework for the delivery of further modular or prefabricated units on other state lands has been launched.
Alongside this, much engagement has taken place to identify and negotiate the use of State-owned sites and all are being assessed potentially for their viability for modular/prefabricated accommodation. To date five sites have been licensed to the department including Crooksling, River Lodge, Heatherside (HSE), Thornton Hall (IPS) and Lissywollen, Athlone (OPW).
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