Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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308. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for the breakdown of all IPAS accommodation based on the Pobal index, that is, the number of IPAS facilities located in areas which are extremely disadvantaged, very disadvantaged, disadvantaged, marginally below average, marginally above average, affluent, very affluent and extremely affluent, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26588/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Department does not collate information on the classification of International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation centres according to Pobal deprivation index.

IPAS does publish regular statistics in relation to international protection applicants accommodated by IPAS. This includes a per county breakdown of where applicants are residing and a wide range of other details.

These statistics are located on the Gov.ie website: www.gov.ie/en/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/publications/facts-and-figures/.

The State is currently accommodating nearly 33,000 people who have applied for international protection in Ireland, over 9000 of whom are children.

IPAS provides accommodation in over 320 centres around the country. From 2022 to 2024, this demand-led system had to grow rapidly, by almost 400%, as a result of a sudden and sustained increase in people applying for international protection.

Given the profound pressure this placed on the accommodation system, it was not possible for the State to apply formal dispersal criteria.

Ireland has adopted and is now working to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in mid-2026. This will ensure that anyone who does not meet the criteria is refused protection and leaves the State. Reforming and speeding up processing of applications should also serve over time to reduce the scale of the demand for international protection accommodation.

My Department is also working to increase the amount of State-owned international protection accommodation, and creating a more stable and sustainable accommodation system.

It is hoped that the creation of a core supply of State-owned accommodation, of both emergency and permanent options, will also allow more strategic direction over accommodation types, location and dispersal patterns nationwide.