Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2026
293. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for a list of all proposed or planned International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres in Mullingar, Athlone and the wider Midlands region, and nationally; the current status of each proposed centre; the expected capacity of each; and the anticipated timelines for opening, in tabular form. [27603/26]
View answer294. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the engagement that has taken place with local communities, public representatives, and local authorities in advance of the identification or development of proposed IPAS centres in Mullingar, Athlone and across the Midlands; and if he will provide details of any consultations, briefings, or impact assessments carried out. [27604/26]
View answer295. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the criteria used to select locations for new IPAS centres, including in Mullingar, Athlone and the Midlands; and the extent to which factors such as local service capacity, housing availability, healthcare access, and school places are taken into account. [27605/26]
View answer296. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated cost associated with the development of each proposed IPAS centre in Mullingar and the Midlands. [27606/26]
View answer297. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any impact assessments have been carried out in relation to public services in Mullingar and the wider Midlands arising from the establishment of new IPAS centres; and the findings of such assessments. [27607/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 293, 294, 295, 296 and 297 together.
I understand from the Deputy's questions that her question relates to new proposed or planned accommodation centres in the areas mentioned.
The Department receives regular offers of accommodation from external providers and does not predetermine their geographical location. All offers of accommodation are reviewed by the Department under a standard appraisal procedure.
The Department is not currently considering offers from any properties in Mullingar, Athlone, or the wider Midlands region for use as international protection accommodation.
In relation to existing accommodation centres in the area, the Department’s Community Engagement Team (CET) was established to engage directly with elected representatives, relevant Local Authorities, Local Development Companies, and other entities and individuals around the time of opening new IPAS accommodation centres and Ukraine accommodation.
The team aims to improve the flow of information regarding arrivals into areas and to help equip local communities with accurate information, and to assist with the welcome and integration process for new arrivals.
From January 2024 to date, the Community Engagement Team issued formal briefing notes regarding the opening of two accommodation centres for people seeking international protection in Co. Westmeath to local elected representatives and the local authorities.
The team also links with other stakeholders outside of immediate openings of centres to build relationships and networks with key groups. This includes meetings with Community Integration Fora, Local Development Companies (LDCs) and other non-governmental organisations.
The team engages with central government Departments and local services to provide information to assist with planning and activation of services. The Community Engagement Team has presented to Westmeath County Council on their work and met with the Westmeath Community Integration Forum on a number of occasions since being established.
Different sites have different engagement needs and the team aims to be flexible to meet the needs of the community. Many communities are working with the team on openings of centres across the country and are happy to manage and facilitate new arrivals themselves with support from local authorities, local development companies or indeed other community groups. We are grateful for this support.
For example, the LDC in Westmeath supported the CET to convene four meetings with community groups in advance of the opening of the accommodation centre at Harry’s Hotel, Kinnegad. The CET also met with local elected representatives on two occasions as well as providing information in response to queries received through the team’s dedicated mailbox.
There has been extended engagement in the case of State-owned sites, like Midlands Accommodation Centre (MAC) and Citywest Accommodation Centre.
In the case of MAC, the CET proactively engaged to ensure that local elected representatives and local stakeholders were informed of the plans and developments at the site.
After informing local elected representatives that the Department intended to develop the site for accommodation for people seeking international protection, the CET published a dedicated webpage to ensure that local stakeholders had access to accurate information about the development and began to convene meetings with stakeholders.
While legal proceedings impacted on the centre development and engagement plans, between October 2024 and November 2025 the CET Team issued five information updates to local elected representatives and held 18 meetings with local stakeholders including local elected representatives and community members. The centre was decanted of all residents in November 2025, but remains part of the Department's strategy in relation to providing accommodation on State-owned lands.
