Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1682. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the protections and contingency housing supports currently in place in Ireland for asylum seekers; and if he intends to review these. [46818/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Under EU and Irish law, the State provides reception conditions – basic accommodation and supports – to international protection applicants.

The State is currently accommodating over 32,000 people in 321 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country, over 9,000 of whom are children with their families. IPAS centres are located in every county in Ireland.

Residents are provided with basic accommodation, meals and other supports, and can access services like health and education through mainstream services.

Accommodation can be provided to international protection applicants for the duration of their international protection application. International protection applicants are not obliged to remain in IPAS Accommodation and may source accommodation independently if they choose, however they do not have access to standard housing or social protection benefits during their application.

As we respond to changing trends, and work toward a more stable and sustainable accommodation system in this sector, accommodation is being developed and delivered through a range of channels, with a focus on developing more State-owned accommodation.

This is part of wider reform of the international protection processing system itself.

Ireland has adopted and is now working to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in mid-2026. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.

My Department continues to focus on preparing for the Pact in advance of June 2026. The General Scheme of a new International Protection Bill to give effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact was approved by Government on 29 April 2025.

The General Scheme has been published and referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for pre-legislative scrutiny. The drafting of the Bill is underway. It is expected that the Bill will be published by the end of the year. Enactment of the Bill and commencement of the Act is required by 11 June 2026.

Reforming and speeding up processing of applications should also serve over time to reduce the scale of the demand for international protection accommodation.