Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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311. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of staff working at IPAS; the number of vacancies at IPAS; and the number of staff in his Department who work with IPAS. [22191/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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314. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the transfer of IPAS to his Department; if he will supply a timeline for complete transfer; the number of additional staff which will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22194/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 311 and 314 together.

The Programme for Government includes a number of commitments that are being progressed and will lead to changes in the structure and responsibilities of my Department.

On May 1, responsibility for International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) transferred to my Department from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. As the Department of Justice has existing responsibility for immigration and migration and the processing of applications for international protection, this transfer underpins a more cohesive and strategic approach to migration and integration.

As part of this transfer, my Department welcomed 329 staff from the Department of Children, approximately 140 of whom are Department officials working in IPAS across operations, resident welfare, customer service and other teams. I am informed that there are currently 17 vacancies in IPAS.

In relation to staff at the 320 IPAS Accommodation Centres around the country, these are staffed through accommodation providers contracted to the Department and while each contract is developed with clear specification of staffing levels required and alignment with National Standards, the Department does not hold specific staffing records or information on vacancies at a central level.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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312. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason local elected representatives are not informed of decisions in respect of the taking of premises for IPAS in a uniform manner; and his plans to ensure that information is not provided selectively [22192/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's 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 by my Department 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 individual queries from local groups about new and existing centres.

It has always been the CET's practice to share proactive updates on the taking or opening of a new centre with all stakeholders simultaneously across all community stakeholders and this will remain the case. The CET will continue to engage with local representatives and ensure that communities can be kept informed about new IPAS centres, and also of offers being made to the Department and progress on appraisal processes.

I and my Department greatly appreciate the support provided by elected representatives and community leaders across the country for our work to provider shelter for often vulnerable people, and to support community integration.

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 Department’s 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, we open new centres regularly as needed. 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, elected representatives and residents and advocates.

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

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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313. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of leases with private providers and IPAS which are due to expire in the next two months; his plans to renew or not renew such leases; the criteria used for renewal; and when providers will be informed, both of the process and whether their lease will be renewed. [22193/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Providing reception conditions – accommodation and other basic supports – to international protection (IP) applicants is a requirement 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.

The State is currently accommodating over 33,000 people who have applied for IP in Ireland, about 9,000 of whom are children with their families. The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation in 325 centres around the country.

These centres are a mix of State-owned sites, long term centres, and emergency accommodation contracted commercially. While work is ongoing to develop more State-owned accommodation options in this sector, at the moment over 90% of IPAS accommodation is commercially provided.

As such, emergency accommodation is sourced through appraisal of accommodation offers from accommodation providers, and entering into contracts with accommodation providers, rather than through leases of property as referenced in the Deputy's question.

The majority of IPAS Emergency Accommodation Contracts were entered into in the last two to three years and, although rates of intake vary over time, approximately 10 contracts might be due for renewal in a given month. The Deputy will appreciate that due to important considerations of resident security, and in order to preserve the anonymity of international protection applicants, it is not the practice to publish or provide systematic details of IPAS Accommodation Centres, and I am therefore not in a position to provide a listing of those centres which may be approaching a renewal date in the format requested.

When an offer of a property is received, a detailed appraisal is undertaken by dedicated IPAS team to assess it for suitability. This includes reviewing 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. Consideration can also be given to the location and locality, and existing provision in the locality for international protection applicants and people from Ukraine in the area.

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.

Contracts are often of one or two-year duration, to afford flexibility to the State and work towards longer-term investment in State sites and reduced reliance on commercial accommodation.

With respect to contract renewals, the provision of accommodation for IP applicants is demand-led, and each premises is considered on a case by case basis to decide if the contract will be renewed as it approaches its end date. The Department conducts all contractual negotiations on the basis of there being no guarantee of the continuity of a contract beyond its end date. At renewal stage, consideration will be given to the current and projected demand for accommodation, the provider's performance under contract, and compliance with standards and legal obligations.