Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
650. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department has conducted an assessment since 2020 of attitudes towards LGBT persons among applicants for international protection and other recent arrivals to the State; if risks relating to anti-LGBT prejudice have been identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45090/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra651. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the information, training or orientation programmes provided to applicants for international protection and other new arrivals regarding Irish laws on equality, discrimination, same-sex relationships, marriage equality and LGBT rights; and if he will provide details of the content, delivery mechanisms and annual expenditure associated with such programmes. [45091/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra652. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department maintains, collects or reviews data on incidents involving anti-LGBT harassment, threats or violence in international protection accommodation centres or State-contracted accommodation facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45092/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 650, 651 and 652 together.
In line with commitments under the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028, a comprehensive trauma informed training programme, Supportive Spaces, has been developed by UNHCR and has been delivered to IPAS staff and is being rolled out to IPAS accommodation centre staff, the training has a specific section on the experience of LGBTI residents.
The IPAS House Rules, updated June 2026, explicitly prohibits sexual harassment, racism, homophobia and intimidation of any kind, and note that such conduct is illegal under Irish law. The IPAS Code of Practice 2025 is binding on all centre staff and explicitly names sexual orientation, among others, as a protected ground.
IPAS does not conduct surveys of residents in the manner outlined.
IPAS policy is to record all incidents, however minor. Please note Department records are not collated to allow the breakdown specified by the Deputy by those related to LGBTIQ+ people.
Incidents that arise in centres are defined and set out in IPAS policies, from a broad scale of general, minor issues related to complaints about behaviour or noise, to incidents considered critical in that they relate to mental health or self-harm incidents, including the unexpected death of a resident.
When any incident occurs, IPAS teams engage with centre management to resolve the issue at hand. In this regard, the Department routinely engages with all providers in relation to incident response and policy compliance.
The Department also carries out regular inspections of centres to ensure policies and procedures are in place that comply with the Critical Incident Policy.
Please see the following table updated to include statistics on incidents recorded in IPAS accommodation centres, dating back to 2021.
|
Year |
Incidents |
Critical Incidents |
Warning Letters |
Transfers |
|
2021 |
5 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
|
2022 |
766 |
37 |
659 |
110 |
|
2023 |
2,109 |
50 |
1,559 |
177 |
|
2024 |
4,168 |
55 |
3,170 |
521 |
|
2025 |
5,725 |
62 |
4,127 |
544 |
|
2026 to date |
2,568 |
27 |
1,909 |
239 |
It should be noted when reviewing the statistics above that the number of people living in IPAS accommodation has increased very significantly over the last 5 years.
Current resident numbers are approximately 33,000. Resident numbers at the end of 2021 were just over 7,000.
Centre management in all IPAS centres have an ongoing working relationship with the local Gardaí. If there is ever any concern in relation to acts of violence or other criminal activity in any IPAS setting, An Garda Síochána are contacted.
