Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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386. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason persons (details supplied) were moved, with no notice, to Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, despite attending work and school in Carlow town; if they can be accommodated again locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28328/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) does not comment on the particulars of individual transfers.

Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase in people seeking international protection, and is currently accommodating over 31,000 people in the IPAS system. In the first 25 weeks of 2024, over 9,700 people have arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, averaging 389 people per week. This is more than five times the average from 2017-2019.

Transfers between different IPAS accommodation centres take place for a wide variety of reasons. In addition, individuals and families request transfers for a variety of reasons and IPAS facilitates those requests as appropriate and where possible. These transfers are more difficult in the current context of extremely limited available accommodation.

In the context of the current crisis, some of the emergency accommodation that comes on-stream is very short-term in nature and necessitates transferring people to alternative accommodation when its use for IPAS expires. In the same manner, when accommodation comes on-stream, IPAS will arrange transfers for international protection applicants to that accommodation.

The accommodation situation is currently very fluid and necessitates international protection applicants be moved, on occasion, to a number of different locations. IPAS works to minimise this as they understand the disruption this causes to international protection applicants. However, unfortunately, it has been necessary on some occasions.