Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
535. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the total number of hotel beds currently being used for State-supported accommodation, including those allocated to IPAS and to persons under the temporary protection directive; and to provide a breakdown of these figures. [47567/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland provides accommodation and other basic supports to people seeking international protection, as is required by law.
The State is currently accommodating over 33,000 people in 303 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country.
Accommodation is provided in a range of settings, including former tourism accommodation locations like hotels, guesthouses and other settings, however the Department does not routinely collate data on international protection accommodation capacity categorised by former use for publication.
Alongside other reforms underway across the international protection system, the Programme for Government commits to reducing the use of commercially contracted international protection accommodation, and to providing more State-owned accommodation.
The purchase of the Citywest Reception Centre in 2025 was an important step in this strategy, and increased State-owned beds to 4,000 in 2025, compared to 900 in early 2024.
The Department is also 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.
Through increased inspections and application of a new rate-card to contracts, costs have been reduced on renewed and new contracts, and 36 contracts have terminated since 2025.
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 as State-owned beds increase, contracts expire, or demand fluctuates.
The new International Protection Act 2026 gives effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and was passed into law last month. The new rules came into effect on 12 June. Reforming and speeding up processing of applications should also serve over time to reduce the scale of the demand for international protection accommodation.
At present, the Department has 107 contracts with hotels to provide accommodation to people with Temporary Protection fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. This represents a contracted capacity of approximately 7,500 beds. However, properties which are identified to this Department as hotels may not necessarily currently be approved as such by Fáilte Ireland.
The Government have approved the phase out of state-funded accommodation that has been provided to people from Ukraine who arrived pre–March 2024 and have been in receipt of accommodation on an ongoing basis.
The changes to the accommodation model will be introduced on a phased basis, with information and support provided to residents.
Ongoing supports for people with particular circumstances that would make it difficult for them to manage in independent accommodation will be provided.
People will be asked to self-declare their need for continued accommodation and provide evidence to support such a requirement, by providing documentary evidence of their circumstances.
Further information can be found at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/campaigns/ukraine-updates-en/and all updates will be published here in due course.
