In an effort to accommodate asylum seekers, the government has unveiled a scheme to provide 14,000 beds by the end of 2028, an initiative part of a broader plan aiming to make a total of 35,000 spaces available across the nation. According to Roderic O’Gorman, the Minister for Integration, this will be achieved through a combination of constructing new facilities and purchasing existing ones.
This will involve the procurement of large turnkey properties, repurposing of vacant office and commercial buildings, and the construction of fast-build accommodations on lands owned by the government. Additionally, the Integration Department intends to rent two locations from the Health Service Executive (HSE) and another from the Justice Department, where they will construct rapid-build prefabricated accommodations.
Asylum seekers will be permitted to stay in these reception centres for a period of six months. Following this, they will require accommodation centres if they have yet to receive a decision on their status beyond the initial six month period. Those who meet the current criteria will be allowed to remain there for up to 12 months.
While the government anticipates the continued use of emergency commercial accommodations in the immediate future, the objective is to reduce this need as more state-operated spaces become available.
In related news, Justice Minister Helen McEntee declared that she is currently reassessing the situation of eight countries potentially being added to the list of ‘safe’ countries of origin, set to expedite the processing of applicants from these regions. Currently, there are 10 countries on this list.
This declaration follows the Cabinet’s consent to join the EU Asylum and Migration pact, a move that would legally bind the nation to carry out enhanced screening checks and limit the timeframe for decision-making on applications. McEntee emphasised the necessity of this participation such that the country isn’t isolated in facing global immigration challenges.
The government’s freshly introduced plan for immigration and accommodation anticipates the need for a system capable of accommodating up to 35,000 asylum seekers by the close of 2028. This projection is based on the estimated annual arrival of 13,000 to 16,000 asylum seekers from 2024 to 2028, and the assumption that those granted refugee status will relocate from their current accommodations.
Mr O’Gorman announced that the capacity of the system will be increased using state-owned accommodations, commercial premises and temporary emergency accommodations.
A key goal of this plan is to cease the current reliance on unsuitable solutions for accommodations, particularly in cases where the only hotel in a town is being used.
Currently, the system can provide 28,181 beds, which include 20,824 in emergency commercial accommodation, 6,173 in permanent IPAS centres, and 1,184 state-owned beds.
With the execution of the Coalition’s latest plan, there will be 35,000 beds available in the future, which will comprise of 10,000 emergency commercially owned spaces, 11,000 beds in contingency commercially owned spaces, around 1,000 community state-owned beds and 13,000 other state-owned beds.
A distribution model is also proposed within the plan to effectively manage local pressures and assist with essential service planning. The plan will develop a set of criteria to achieve fair geographical distribution of applicants and accommodation venues across the country. These criteria will consider factors such as the current numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, population density and the availability of public services.
To further streamline the process, Ms McEntee announced new border protocols as part of the EU Migration Pact, which will result in the complete replacement of the International Protection Act 2015. These measures will enforce legally binding timeframes for decisions on international protection applications and introduce a new dedicated accommodation process.