Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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560. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 57 of 9 October 2025, the timeframe in which he intends to progress legislation to amend eligibility criteria for the accommodation recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56539/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a goodwill payment to recognise the contribution of hosts who have opened their homes to temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine. The scheme is administered by the Department of Social Protection on my behalf.

Some 41,000 persons who have fled the war in Ukraine are currently being accommodated in almost 23,000 hosted accommodations with the support of this scheme.

In July 2025, the Government agreed to a proposal brought jointly by the Minister for Housing and myself for the governing legislation to be amended to limit eligibility for the ARP to properties that are not rental properties with a view to safeguarding such accommodation for tenants. This will involve amendments to the legislation governing the scheme, Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022.

There is ongoing engagement between officials in my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of the proposed changes. It is intended that the legislative amendments in respect of the scheme will be included in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill that is currently being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government (OPC). Officials in both Departments will engage with OPC as required. Officials in the Department of Social Protection and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) are also examining mechanisms to give operational effect to the intended legislation.

I hope that the Bill will be published in the coming weeks, and that the legislation and operational mechanisms will be in place in the near future.