Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide detail on contractual changes that are likely to happen across 2025 in terms of the provision of accommodation for international protection applicants and beneficiaries of temporary protection in County Clare; specifically, if it is her Department’s intention to acquire new properties or to terminate existing contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20769/25]

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

Ireland currently provides accommodation to over 33,000 people applying for international protection and has also welcomed over 114,000 people from Ukraine since 2022.

People from Ukraine are supported across the EU under the Temporary Protection Directive. The basis of applying for asylum or refugee status is fleeing war or persecution in one’s home country. As an international protection applicant, people are entitled to shelter and support under both Irish and EU law.

People seeking international protection are accommodated at over 320 locations, in every county. As of 6^th April, there are 13 IPAS centres in Co. Clare providing accommodation to 1013 people seeking international protection, including 290 children.

As of 14^th April, there are 22 State provided accommodation centres in Co. Clare providing accommodation to 1236 people fleeing the war in Ukraine who are Beneficiaries of Temporary protection including 315 children.

The welcome provided by people, communities and organisations in Co. Clare has been remarkable, and the State appreciates the work done and effort made to integration people into new communities over the last two years.

Urgent response in recent years

Our accommodation systems have been forced to expand at a rapid pace over the last two years in response to a sharp increase in need among both groups.

The over 114,000 people who arrived from Ukraine, and a significant increase since 2022 in applications for international protection, have come at a time when accommodation in Ireland is in short supply across all dimensions.

In addition to the Ukraine response, the increase in applications for international protection places a legal duty on the State to accommodate the additional applicants.

Emergency centres have been opened in all parts of the country, and intensive efforts were made, as part of a whole of Government response, to ensure people in need were provided with shelter and support.

Over the last 2 years, against this backdrop of unique events in Ukraine, increased need, and the acute shortages of accommodation, it has not been possible for my Department to apply specific policies in relation to distribution of accommodation centres, including a geographic or county-by-county based dispersal plan.

However, it is a direction which we wish to move toward, as we respond to changing trends, and work toward a more stable and sustainable accommodation system in this sector.

This work will be progressed as part of the development of a new Migration and Integration Strategy, and will shortly transfer from my Department to the Department of Justice on1 May 2025.

Ukraine/Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP)

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, the Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy.

The Department notes the continued decreases in arrivals from Ukraine to Ireland, decreases in those arriving who request accommodation from the State and increasing numbers of Ukrainians who choose to move on from State accommodation.

Trends in need are now changing, for example, the level of need among people from Ukraine has reduced and is expected to continue to do so. Properties are being returned to their former use, for example in tourism, hospitality and education, and to private use.

For example, recent figures from Fáilte Ireland show that in 2024, over 12,000 beds were returned from use by my Department's Ukraine response to tourism. These were among 15,000 beds returned to private use by the Ukraine team in the period.

This should be allowing growth of the tourism sector in the areas concerned, with an acknowledgment of the contribution made by these areas and providers to support the historic humanitarian and State response to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

As a result, the Department is currently seeking to consolidate and rationalise its Ukraine accommodation portfolio to ensure greater compliance with standards and better value for money.

The Department is not presently contracting additional Ukraine accommodation from new or existing providers. This situation will be kept under review.

The Department aims to ensure that our portfolio of accommodation meets the evolving needs of the State’s response to the Ukraine Crisis.

International Protection accommodation

Work is ongoing to source and bring into use suitable longer-term international protection accommodation facilities, in line with the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy.

When appraising offers of accommodation, however, there are a range of criteria considered, including planning, building and other regulatory matters, location and transport, and the standard of accommodation and facilities.

Since March 2024, this Government-approved strategy for international protection accommodation has been in implementation. Accommodation is being developed and delivered through a range of channels.

These include the use of State-owned land for emergency tented, prefabricated and modular units, conversion of commercial buildings, and targeted purchasing of turnkey properties. This will also include the design and building of new Reception and Integration Centres and upgrading of IPAS Centres. This will be supplemented, as required, by high standard commercial providers.

As developing these more sustainable state-owned accommodation system options under this strategy will take time, the commissioning of emergency commercial accommodation will continue to be a feature in the short to medium term. This accommodation will be contracted on shorter-term basis and if numbers drop can be decommissioned as contracts expire.

The degree of control given to the State by the creation of core supply of State-owned accommodation, of both emergency and permanent options, will increase as supply is delivered, re-establishing strategic direction over the accommodation type, location and dispersal pattern.

As set out in the strategy last March, by adopting the mixed-accommodation plan, the Government will begin to gradually move away from a reactive, crisis response, ultimately permitting the State to:

• Regain long-term certainty over accommodation availability by creating a core, static State-owned asset and incur savings over expenditure allocated to commercial providers.
• Adjust its commercial accommodation stock as required to meet the demands of incoming arrival rates and potential changes in length of stay of applicants within the system
• Gain far greater degree of control over the geographic distribution, allocation and dispersal of applicants, and end reliance on opening new properties in unsuitable locations and/or properties entailing significant adverse impact in local communities (i.e. use of the sole hotel in a given town)
• Gain much greater lead-in time to the opening of new centres, allowing for enhanced and effective local communication, and development of integration linkages
• Plan more effectively for delivery of increased public services, where possible .