Housing minister considers emergency powers to get properties for Ukrainian refugees

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien: Has emergency powers whereby certain planning and procurement requirements can be exempted where required to speed up housing delivery in emergency situations. Picture: Niall Carson

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien's plan to home thousands of Ukrainian refugees will consider the use of emergency powers for procuring properties.

The minister will bring a memo to Cabinet tomorrow which will outline further details in relation to medium and longer-term housing options in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

The plan includes an expansion of the voids programme whereby vacant social homes will be brought back into use and an expanded acquisition programme where local authorities will have greater flexibilities to acquire certain homes. 

Mr O'Brien has emergency powers available to him under existing legislation whereby certain planning and procurement requirements can be exempted where required to speed up delivery in emergency situations.

The department is working with all relevant stakeholders to ascertain where such powers are required to be used.

Taskforce established

A cross-sectoral and cross-departmental housing taskforce has been established to develop longer-term housing options specifically in response to the war in Ukraine.

The taskforce is examining the medium-term conversion of vacant buildings (state owned and private) to suitable accommodation specifically for those fleeing Ukraine and the longer-term activation of planning permissions which have not yet commenced. 

A property audit has identified 529 properties that could be utilised. However, it is understood most of the properties will require refurbishment. 

Around 100 of these properties could be in use in a matter of weeks, while up to 80 more could be habitable within three to six months.

The measures are in addition to those set out in Housing for All and are aimed at alleviating pressure on the wider housing system.

The Government is also preparing to restructure some departments in order to speed up housing allocations by private citizens after weeks of complaints that people were not being contacted and pledges were not being processed.

Curragh Camp houses

The Department of Defence has agreed in principle that 85 derelict houses at the Curragh Camp in Co Kildare can be refurbished by the local authority for general housing needs.

An emergency accommodation centre in Glantane, just outside Mallow in Co Cork, is expected to welcome Ukrainian refugees by the end of next week.

Based in Kilshannig Community Centre, work is already underway to prepare the hall. It is believed the centre could accommodate 40 to 60 people.

It is expected that people will stay three to five days before they find more permanent accommodation, similar to an emergency rest centre currently operating in Banteer, Co Cork.

Local councillor John Paul O'Shea said it is hoped that the centre will be ready by Tuesday.

More than 25,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland so far. 

Last week Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government was not considering imposing a cap on the number of Ukrainian people entering the state.

A Behaviour & Attitudes survey for the Sunday Times at the weekend found that more than half of those polled would be willing to take a Ukrainian refugee into their home if they had room.