Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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289. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the precise date when the owners of units 64 and 65 on the Palmerstown/SDCC side of Cherry Orchard Industrial Estate were notified that the buildings were ‘no longer under consideration’ as an international protection centre as per a circular sent out to elected representatives recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21973/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you for your question, Deputy. A response will be provided directly to you in the coming days.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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290. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of offers to accommodate people seeking international protection that have been made by property owners in the Dublin mid-west constituency, or directly sought by his Department; the general locations of such offers; the number of letters of approval that have been issued since 2024; the number that are under active consideration, again listing the name of the geographic area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21974/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation and other basic supports to people applying for international protection in Ireland. This is part of EU and Irish law.

IPAS currently provides accommodation for over 33,000 people, and 9,000 of these are children with their families. IPAS has 325 accommodation centres across the country, based in every county.

As part of our work to source and develop international protection accommodation, the Department receives multiple offers of accommodation from property owners and providers around the country.

The contracting of properties as emergency centres is partly dependent on the receipt of offers from external providers, and the Department cannot predetermine their geographical location.

The Department has a dedicated team within the International Protection and Integration Division who manage and appraise offers received of emergency commercial international protection accommodation.

The detail of offers of potential accommodation and their appraisal is subject to confidentiality and is commercially sensitive, so the Department is not in a position to publish details of offers received in the format requested.

However, from 2024 to date, the Department’s Community Engagement Team (CET) has issued a total of 90 briefing notes about new IPAS accommodation centres. These are shared with local representatives and community groups in an area where a new properties is being contracted to provide emergency international protection accommodation.

In meeting our obligation to provide material reception conditions to people seeking international protection, the Department can consider offers of accommodation from a tax-compliant company, subject to compliance with statutory requirements, planning, building and fire regulations, and minimum standards.

Once an offer is received with respect to accommodation for international protection applicants, it is assessed for suitability. This includes a range of factors such as previous use of the property, accommodation suitability, rates, room sizes, capacity and amenities, information on the building's safety and fitness for occupancy, and various other criteria such as Wi-Fi, security provision and staffing. Not all properties progress through the appraisal process.

In all instances where the Department enters into a contract with an accommodation provider, all statutory requirements relating to the establishment and management of accommodation are met by the service provider, including health and safety, fire, building regulations and other requirements.

Should a decision be made to accommodate people at a new centre, the Community Engagement Team will then provide detailed information to local stakeholders including elected representatives, in advance. The briefing note will give the full details of the property including the contracted capacity, resident profile and details about how the centre will be managed.

Information about the numbers of people seeking international protection and their nationality is published here:

Statistics about accommodation for people seeking international protection is published on a weekly basis and is available here:

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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291. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if there are plans to review the process whereby international protection centres are located in communities, in terms of being more proactive in consulting with said communities and providing concrete guarantees as to additional medical and other support resources, education and training and general recreational amenities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21975/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The IPAS Community Engagement Team (CET) was established in late 2023 to engage directly with elected representatives, local authorities, NGOs, Community Fora, local services, An Garda Síochána and other, in advance of opening accommodation centres for people seeking international protection.

The purpose of the team is to improve the flow of information about new and existing accommodation centres into communities, to assist with integration for the people joining our communities. Extra resources have been added to the CET during 2024 to extend our reach and impact.

When a decision is made to accommodate people at a new centre, the team then works to engage with and provide detailed information to the local community, in advance of the centre opening. They will give the full details of the property including the contracted capacity, resident profile and details about how the centre will be managed.

The team can also attend meetings for dialogue with local representatives and groups, providing background information, answering questions and listening to people's views, and helping to activate or support location partnerships where relevant to support accommodation openings.

The team also supports information sharing through a dedicated email service for queries from local groups about new and existing centres.

Between October 2023 to date, the CET has worked through the openings of over 130 IPAS and Ukraine accommodation centres. Some of these have involved a simple sharing of information through the relevant channels, while others have involved more detailed meetings with local community groups, local officials, public representatives and other key stakeholders.

There have been many consistent examples of meaningful and productive engagement, and service providers and elected representatives around the country demonstrate ongoing support for our work and for our residents.

Making the this work better understood, providing information when needed, and being available to meet or speak with local representatives has assisted with the successful initiation of many centres.

In relation to larger State-owned sites, the model of engagement has been developed to plan for more meaningful dialogue to support these larger centres, particularly those on state-owned lands being developed under Government policy to move away from dependence on commercial providers.

Overall, it's important to note that we have over 320 accommodation centres in Ireland. Our centres operate with the support of the community, with dialogue and engagement, and thanks to the co-operation of the people in the area, IPAS and centre management, local public services of all sectors, and residents and advocates.

As part of the Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, there is a commitment to provide for detailed discussions with communities and to plan more effectively for delivery of increased public services.

This work will be progressed as part of the development of a new Migration and Integration Strategy.