Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
538. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the nationality breakdown of adults recorded in emergency accommodation in each month from January 2024 to the most recent date available, including a breakdown by (i) Irish citizens, (ii) EU/EEA citizens, and (iii) non-EU nationals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33244/26]
View answer539. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether data is collected, either by his Department or by local authorities, on the immigration or legal status of persons in emergency accommodation, including categories such as (i) international protection applicants, (ii) beneficiaries of temporary protection, (iii) refugees with status, (iv) EU/EEA nationals, and (v) Irish citizens; and if so, to provide the most recent available breakdown; and if not, the reason such data is not collected. [33245/26]
View answer540. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons in emergency accommodation who are also in the international protection system, including those awaiting a decision on their application, in each of the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33246/26]
View answer541. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the gender breakdown of adults in emergency accommodation, including male, female and any other recorded categories, for each of the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33247/26]
View answer542. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the age profile of persons in emergency accommodation, including breakdowns by age cohorts (for example 18–24, 25–44, 45–64, 65+), for the most recent period available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33248/26]
View answer543. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of persons in emergency accommodation by household type, including single adults, couples, and families with children, and the proportion of each category accounted for by Irish citizens and non-Irish nationals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33249/26]
View answer545. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the data collection framework used to compile official homelessness statistics, including whether standardised data fields exist across local authorities for nationality, immigration status, and household composition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33251/26]
View answer546. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether nationality data is collected in respect of children in emergency accommodation; if not, the reason for this omission; and whether there are plans to introduce such data collection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33252/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 545 and 546 together.
My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level.
Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. Decisions on the assessment of households for homeless services, the most appropriate form of such support, and the allocation of that support are a matter for the local authority concerned.
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (DJHAM) are the lead Department with responsibility for the provision of accommodation and related supports for persons arriving in Ireland from the conflict in Ukraine. The responsibility for providing accommodation to Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection does not rest with my Department; this responsibility rests with DJHAM.
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), a division of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, is responsible for the provision of accommodation and related services to people in the International Protection (asylum) process. My Department has no role in this regard.
Persons granted international protection status (refugee status or subsidiary protection status) can access State provided supports and services, including homeless services, on the same basis as Irish nationals.
My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in homeless emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), the single integrated national data information system on State-funded homeless emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by local authorities.
PASS is an active case and bed management and client support system and is administrated by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE). PASS is an online, shared system utilised by the local authorities and other contracted service providers to manage bookings in State-funded homeless emergency accommodation, operated and overseen by the local authorities. My Department has no function in the operation of the PASS system.
The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and the dependants of these families who accessed emergency accommodation during the relevant count week of the month in question. The most recently published data is in respect of March 2026. The reports are collated on a regional basis and are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data, and are also published to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation's open data portal: https://data.gov.ie/.
The report also includes the number of adults in emergency accommodation by gender and age band. The gender information is broken down by male and female, and the adult age information is broken down by the following age bands: 18-24, 24-44, 45-64 and 65+.
Since April 2022 my Department has gathered information from local authorities on citizenship of adults accessing emergency accommodation. The citizenship information is broken down by Irish, EEA/UK and Non-EEA and is available on a regional basis at the link above. The monthly reports do not provide a breakdown by nationality of children under 18 in homeless emergency accommodation.
