Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As part of their contract with my Department, providers of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection are required to submit a weekly register in relation to their contracted capacity. The registers provide occupancy and vacancy figures which are checked by a team in my Department to make sure the figures provided do not exceed the maximum capacity agreed with the provider in their contract.

Inaccuracies are highlighted to the provider for clarification and information is provided in relation to the Offers Portal where any additional, currently uncontracted, beds or rooms the provider may have available can be offered for the Department’s use if required.

Maximising the use of contracted vacancies is a priority for my Department. A dedicated team were established last year to actively validate vacancies notified to us by accommodation providers to ensure these are within contract and meet our standards. In addition, improvements to our processes have significantly increased accommodation provider compliance with the requirement to submit weekly registers, currently over 95%, and my officials are actively contacting providers not currently doing so to ensure we have a full picture of contracted vacancies.

In relation IPAS centres, occupancy is tracked and monitored on a weekly basis, based on register returns submitted by centre management. Centres are also subject to desktop audits and onsite inspections to ensure accurate registers are kept.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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International Protection Accommodation Service

The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) works at all times to ensure accommodation capacity is utilised in the most effective manner possible.

Across IPAS’s 265 properties variances exist between maximum capacity and actual number international protection applicants in residence. The largest part of this differentials is accounted due to room configurations including differing family sizes often leaving unusable beds in allocated accommodation.

Contractual issues with service providers will also leave potential beds unused pending the resolution of issues and the need to upgrade and renovate rooms. A significant portion of bed capacity is further accounted for through the need for maintenance or deep cleaning of rooms following moves and, ring-fenced beds to facilitate the opening and closing of accommodation centres.

During 2023 and for the first month of 2024, IPAS has had occupancy rates of 95% while at the same time having no usable beds available to accommodate all arriving international protection applicants.

The variances between occupancy rates and maximum capacity are within expected norms given the wide variety of IPAS property portfolio, contractual obligations of the properties available and the demand lead nature of the service being delivered.

IPAS’s continues to work toward maximising bed capacity with occupancy rates tracked and monitored on a weekly basis, based on register returns submitted by centre management. Centres also subject to desktop audits and onsite inspections to ensure accurate registers are kept.

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection

Not all BOTPs request state supported accommodation or remain in it. In relation to contractual providers accommodating Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs), figures for 2023 were not collated in the manner which the Deputy has requested.

The shortfall between actual occupancy and contracted capacity, excluding unusable capacity, is updated on a daily basis by providers and as registers are received they are analysed by a team established in 2023 as to their capacity to be used.

As part of their contract with the Department, providers of accommodation for BOTPs are required to submit a weekly register in relation to their contracted capacity and there is now almost 95% compliance with this requirement. Compliance with this requirement improved during 2023 once dedicated team was established.

The register provides information from providers on their occupancy figure, the number of beds that are unusable, and the number of vacancies they have. This data is self-reported given scale of accommodation provision. Anomalies are investigated where possible.

The shortfall between actual occupancy and contracted capacity is recorded daily in a live system and not on a monthly basis. The data for 24 January, for example, shows potential vacancies of 2,500 approx.

The total number of vacancies available for allocation changes daily as vacancies are both validated and allocated to BOTPs on a daily basis.

While the number of total available vacancies notified to my Department are not insignificant and welcomed, beds can be unusable for a variety of reasons which can include unused beds in family rooms, single occupancy in double rooms, or rooms closed for maintenance. Where a provider is nearing the end of their contract, for example, or where an issue has been raised with my Department such that the provider’s offering is under review, vacancies notified by that accommodation provider will not be filled until these matters are resolved to ensure the safety and well being of BOTPs.

The vacancies that are within the contracted capacity and meet our standards are made available to my Department’s operational teams for use as required. Due to varying room configurations and geographical locations, some vacancies may take longer to fill than others given they are utilised to meet the specific requirements of individuals and family groups of BOTPs.

My Department will continue to engage with providers to fill suitable vacancies where this is possible.