Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 December 2025
105. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department has undertaken a review of IPAS accommodation in east Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68334/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people in nearly 320 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country, over 9,500 of whom are children.
The IPAS system is managed as a unified, national system, and as such the Department does not collate reports or analyses of inspections and compliance by county or by a particular area within a county.
All accommodation centres are subject to routine inspections and compliance checks during the lifetime of the contract, either by Department officials, HIQA, or through IPAS-commissioned inspections. These inspections are fully transparent and published online regularly.
Reports of IPAS inspections are available online on gov.ie and numbers of inspections have increased significantly since 2023.
www.gov.ie/en/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/publications/ipas-inspection-reports/ .
In 2025 to date, there have been 372 inspections completed by the International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS), covering 341 separate properties.
202 of these inspections have been carried out by IPPS and 170 by an independent inspector. The inspection carried out by the independent inspector have covered 153 separate properties.
Where any centre has areas of partial or non-compliance identified during an inspection,?a bespoke Compliance Plan is agreed and outlined in the inspection report, noting the specific and time-bound measures which will be taken in order to ensure full compliance with the National Standards.
As we respond to changing trends, and work toward a more stable and sustainable accommodation system in this sector, accommodation is being developed and delivered through a range of channels, with a focus on developing more State-owned accommodation.
The Department continues to appraise the portfolio of existing accommodation with a view to consolidation where possible, along with better governance and compliance, and increased frequency of inspections of properties.
In 2025, 22 have been notified of termination by the Department and details of each contractual process are treated as confidential and commercially sensitive.
Reasons for termination can include non-compliance with contractual terms or with regulatory requirements such as building and fire regulations or planning matters.
While commissioning emergency commercial accommodation will continue to be necessary in the short to medium term, it is being contracted on a short-term basis, which enables the State to decommission this capacity with agility as contracts expire or demand fluctuates.
