Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 April 2025
666. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of IPAS centres approved in each Gaeltacht, by year for past five years, and by Gaeltacht area; the number of applicants who have resided, or are residing there; and if the Department has done an assessment on the impact on the unique linguistic and cultural identity of those areas. [15636/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you for your question, Deputy.
Ireland currently provides accommodation to approximately 33,000 people applying for international protection and has also welcomed over 114,000 people from Ukraine since 2022. Our accommodation systems for both groups have been forced to expand at a rapid pace over the last two years in response to a sharp increase in need among both groups.
As such, the data requested is not collated by my Department for publication, and an assessment of the impact of international protection accommodation procurement on the unique linguistic and cultural identity of Gaeltacht areas has not been carried out.
Emergency centres have been opened in all parts of the country, and intensive efforts were made, as part of a whole of Government response, to ensure people in need were provided with shelter and support. In addition to the Ukraine response, the increase in applications for international protection places a legal duty on the State to accommodate the additional applicants.
Huge efforts are underway to source and bring into use suitable longer-term international protection accommodation facilities, in line with the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy.
Since March 2024, this Government-approved strategy for international protection accommodation has been in implementation. Accommodation is being developed and delivered through a range of channels.
These include the use of State-owned land for emergency tented, prefabricated and modular units, conversion of commercial buildings, and targeted purchasing of turnkey properties. They will also include the design and building of new Reception and Integration Centres and upgrading of IPAS Centres. This will be supplemented, as required, by high standard commercial providers.
Over the last 2 years, against the backdrop of unique events in Ukraine, increased need, and the acute shortages of accommodation, it has not been possible for my Department to apply specific policies in relation to distribution of accommodation centres.
However, it is a direction which we wish to move toward, as we work toward a more stable and sustainable accommodation system in this sector.
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) releases weekly statistics in relation to people seeking international protection (IP), including a per-county breakdown of where IP applicants are residing. These statistics are located on the gov.ie website:
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/07027-ipas-statistics/
