Written answers
Thursday, 3 July 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
International Protection
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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66. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1082 of 10 June 2025, the urgent steps he is taking to end the policy of not offering accommodation to international protection applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36345/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people seeking international protection in over 320 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country.
Due to severe shortages of accommodation over recent years, the State was unable to offer accommodation to all people seeking international protection since 2024, and there are currently 2,577 people awaiting an offer of accommodation.
Our teams manage a limited supply of accommodation, prioritising people with families or who have specific health needs or other vulnerabilities. This means that single male applicants are most affected by lack of accommodation.
IPAS has arrangements in place with a range of NGO partners to provide drop-in day services for unaccommodated people. This means people can access facilities including hot showers, meals and laundry services.
IPAS also makes offers of accommodation to any applicant who is rough sleeping, identified through outreach that is organised 7 days a week.
People who are not offered accommodation are given a weekly allowance of €113.80 per week, an increase of €75 more than the standard weekly allowance for asylum-seekers.
While the demand for IPAS accommodation remains high, the reduced rate of new applications has meant that IPAS has been able to review the cases of people who are awaiting an offer of accommodation and make offers to those who have been waiting longest.
This review has reduced the number of unaccommodated people from over 3,500 to 2,577 in the last few weeks.
As part of the review process, we are also identifying people who no longer require accommodation. They will be removed from the list of people waiting for an offer, speeding up the process for people on the list who still need accommodation.
Depending on availability of spaces and numbers of new applicants, we will continue to make offers of accommodation to more people over the coming weeks and months.
Updated information on unaccommodated international protection applicants is published online at Gov.ie.
Edward Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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67. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the appraisals will be completed, and decisions made, on properties that have expressed an interest in providing international protection accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36667/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation in over 320 centres around the country. These centres are a mix of State-owned sites, long-term centres, and emergency accommodation contracted commercially.
In line with the Programme for Government 2025, and the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection approved in 2024, the State is working to build a sustainable accommodation system, to develop more State-owned international protection accommodation , and to reduce reliance on commercial providers over time.
The recent decision to purchase the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre is an example of progress being made on the development of State-owned accommodation. In terms of other potential purchases, an Expression of Interest (EOI) process was launched in 2024 for the sourcing of suitable properties for acquisition or lease. 134 submissions have been received to date, and these options are being assessed.
As developing more state-owned accommodation options will take time, the commissioning of emergency commercial accommodation will continue to be a feature in the short to medium term.
The Department receives offers on an ongoing basis from external commercial providers, and does not predetermine their geographical location. Offers may also be received from providers who have previously provided State-supported accommodation to people from Ukraine, as these contracts are coming to an end in many locations.
All offers of international protection accommodation are reviewed by the Department under a standardised appraisal procedure. Factors in the appraisal of international protection accommodation include the site and its potential, the value for money it offers, planning matters and any works required to meet the required standards.
Consideration is also given to the location and locality, access to services, resident welfare, health and wellbeing, and the current level of need in the sector. Part of the appraisal process for a new contract includes review of the property’s services and planning compliance, and this done in conjunction with the Local Authority where relevant. A large volume of offers of accommodation are received and many are not successful for a variety of reasons including:
- The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) may deem a premises unsuitable for accommodation
- The premises may not be compliant with relevant statutory regulations
- IPPS and the prospective provider may not agree to contract terms
- The prospective provider may withdraw the offer during the appraisal process
A range of steps are being taken to reform the international protection system overall, reducing processing times, providing applicants with a faster and more efficient decision process and in turn reducing the scale of demand for accommodation in the longer-term.
This strategic approach will align with implementation of the Migration Pact across EU Member States, including Ireland, in mid 2026.
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