Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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151. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the plans to introduce a standard structured form of consultation with communities in relation to the location of IPAS centres; his plans for the introduction of criteria to ensure IPAS centres are not located in areas already lacking in services or experiencing deprivation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24763/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Toward the end of 2021, Ireland was accommodating about 7,000 people in the international protection system, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine had not yet occurred.

Our accommodation systems had to expand at a rapid pace over the following three years in response to a sharp increase in need, among both people fleeing the war in Ukraine, and greater numbers of people applying for international protection.

We now accommodate over 33,000 people in the international protection system, and Ireland has seen over 114,000 arrivals from Ukraine since 2022.

The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) worked urgently to source and develop suitable accommodation sites during this period. That response was commendable, and included a huge supportive effort from people and communities across the country.

The 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 others, in advance of the opening of new IPAS accommodation centres and Ukraine accommodation.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 were added to the CET during 2024 to extend its 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.Since its establishment, 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.

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

As part of wider commitments within the Programme for Government, the overall goal is to reform and improve the overall international protection process, to ensure that we can curtail the need for ongoing growth in the accommodation system.