No large-scale accommodation for asylum-seekers in prospect, government admits

Gormanstown Camp was one of the extra initiatives introduced in 2022 to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees. However, the Government now says it has run out of all accommodation. Picture: Government Information Services

There is no "line of sight" on new large-scale accommodation for asylum-seekers, government sources have confirmed.

The country's supply of available beds ran out last week, leading to 83 asylum-seekers in the last week going without a place to stay. The Department of Integration confirmed on Thursday that 32 people who arrived on Monday, 30 who arrived on Tuesday, and 21 who arrived on Wednesday had not been housed. Seven have since been offered accommodation.

Asylum-seekers who are not provided accommodation by the State will be given an additional €75 payment per week under plans which went to Cabinet on Tuesday. Ireland is currently accommodating more than 100,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. 

This includes over 74,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 26,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation.

The Department of Integration confirmed on Monday that, while women and children will be given accommodation, it cannot put a roof over newly arriving men's heads due to a "severe shortage".

A department spokesperson said tents and sleeping bags will be provided to people where required.

'Few avenues left'

Government sources have said that there is currently no large-scale accommodation due to come on stream, with one saying that there are "very few avenues left" and that the outlook in the short-term did not indicate that beds would become available in the coming week. 

It is understood that the Department of Integration had been confident of securing nearly 200 beds at a facility in Dublin city for use by asylum-seekers, but that this facility was sold recently and the new owners have decided to operate it as a private business. This was described as a "real blow" by a government source.

Government sources said that the lack of accommodation was likely to deter some asylum-seekers from coming to Ireland, but that there would be a lag in seeing this, possibly until the middle of January.

'No long-term plan'

The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI), criticised the Government's approach of giving additional money to those without housing and the overall lack of accommodation. In a statement, the movement said that it was "appalling considering that all direct provision centres were at full capacity by the end of 2018 which is five years ago".

"There seems to have been no long-term plan in place to address this since then and all we hear is the excuse about the contribution of the war in the Ukraine. There was no war in the Ukraine when Direct Provision centres became full."