Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
827. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the specific locations of each of the seven large-scale international protection accommodation service centres that are proposed to be exempted from normal planning requirements under the General Scheme of the Planning and Development Act (Planning Status of State Sites) Amendment Bill 2025; and to confirm the current operational status of each site. [30127/26]
View answer828. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide a written explanation of the criteria used by his Department and by IPAS to classify or distinguish between different categories of international protection accommodation centres, including the basis on which certain centres are designated as large-scale or "mega" centres; whether such classification is determined by reference to property size, the number of residents accommodated, the ratio of IPAS residents to the local population, or any other metric; and to publish any internal guidance documents setting out these classifications. [30128/26]
View answer829. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the planned maximum capacity of each of the seven IPAS centres proposed to be covered by the forthcoming planning exemption legislation; and to outline the rationale for exempting these centres from the standard planning process, given that the High Court has previously found issues with the planning basis for existing State-owned IPAS sites. [30129/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 827, 828 and 829 together.
The Programme for Government commits to reducing the use of hotels for international protection accommodation, and to providing more State-owned accommodation.
In support of meeting this commitment, work has been ongoing since 2024 to review potential properties for purchase as international protection accommodation. The State purchased the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre in 2025, which was a significant milestone and increased the number of State-owned bed to a total of 4,000.
While a number of sites remain under consideration, no decisions have been made on further purchases, or on the development of a number of large, new centres as mentioned in your question, or as have been referenced in media reporting over recent weeks.
As well as considering purchase options, the State has also worked to provide accommodation on existing State-owned lands since 2024, including at Crooksling in Dublin, Lissywollen in Athlone and at Thornton Hall in Dublin.
As has been reported extensively over the last year, there were specific legal challenges against the use of planning legislation at these three locations. It will be a matter for Government to consider the appropriate future planning process for these sites and their use.
While moving away from commercial provision, and toward a greater proportion of State-owned accommodation, the overall strategy in Ireland is to speed up processing of international protection applications and reduce the demand for international protection accommodation. The signing into law of the International Protection Act 2026, and the implementation of the EU Migration Pact from 12 June this year, are critical steps toward achieving that.
