Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 January 2026
131. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any further plans for the development of IPAS centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6933/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra132. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the criteria by which a particular building or location is assessed and selected as being suitable for use as an IPAS centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6934/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.
The Department is taking action across all aspects of the international protection accommodation system to improve value for money, strengthen governance and compliance, and renegotiate contracts with providers.
This work forms part of an overall reform of the International Protection system that is already working to speed up processing of applications and to increase provision of State-owned accommodation.
Developing more State-owned options will allow us to move away from the current degree of reliance on commercial provision. The purchase of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre in 2025 was an important milestone in this strategy, and increased State-owned beds to 4,000 in 2025, compared to 700 in early 2024.
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 will enable the State to decommission this capacity with agility as State-owned beds increase, contracts expire or demand fluctuates.
Extensive challenges were posed to the State in sourcing international protection accommodation during an unprecedented surge in applications from 2022 to 2024 and new centres had to be sourced and developed in that period to meet urgent need.
Applications for international protection reduced during 2025, and this has supported our work to put in place greater controls over the IPAS accommodation portfolio.
The Department continues to appraise the portfolio of existing accommodation with a view to consolidation where possible, along with better governance and compliance.
Across the system, a range of updated systems and procedures for appraisal, validation, contracting and payments have been put in place and are already having an impact.
The introduction of a new rate card model in May 2025 is driving costs down for new and renewed contracts, already saving over €76 million up to December last year. It is being applied to each contract as it comes up for renewal.
The Department receives offers of international protection accommodation on an ongoing basis from external commercial providers. All offers are reviewed by the Department under a standardised appraisal procedure.
A dedicated team appraises each offer to accommodate people seeking international protection, and the Department carries out due diligence on the provider who is offering the accommodation service.
This includes checks on the provider offering the service to the Department via the Companies Registration Office (CRO) to ensure compliance with CRO requirements.
Providers must be registered in Ireland. Providers may be part of wider commercial groups and may also be operating in other EU member states, in line with EU principles of free movement of goods, services, and works.
Since 2024, each new or renewing provider of accommodation services must provide a declaration of their personal circumstances. This declaration, which must be notarised, confirms that they are tax compliant, free of any convictions for corruption, fraud or being a member of a criminal organisation. It also confirms that they are solvent and have no history of failing to meet terms of public service contracts, among other requirements.
In relation to contracts ending, IPAS regularly engages with centres to ensure compliance with contracts and standards, with a dual eye on safety and welfare of residents, while also ensuring value for money and compliance by providers.
Ireland has adopted and is now working to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in mid-2026. Reforming and speeding up processing of applications should serve over time to reduce the scale of the demand for international protection accommodation, as was seen in recent years.
