Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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512. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of payments made under the accommodation recognition payment (ARP) since it was increased to €800 on 1 December 2022; the number of persons who have availed of the ARP per county; the number of landlords who were paid under ARP scheme per county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4683/25]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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513. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of property owners in each county and for each month from January 2023 to January 2025 inclusive in receipt of the accommodation recognition payment, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4684/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 512 and 513 together.

The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a monthly payment of €800 available to those who are providing accommodation to a person or people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.

Since the start of the scheme in 2022, €239m has been paid to over 22,399 recipients in respect of hosting 49,840 BOTPs. Currently, over 15,500 hosts are accommodating almost 36,000 BOTPs in over 19,000 accommodations.

A person providing accommodation to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) on a commercial basis is ineligible to participate in the scheme. Where a rental agreement is in place, ARP is not payable. ARP does not create a landlord and tenant relationship between the accommodation host who has qualified for the financial contribution and the Ukrainians living in the accommodation, and it does not provide an automatic right to tenancy.

A county breakdown of claims awarded to hosts, since the start of the ARP scheme up to 3 February 2025, is provided below.

It has not been possible to collate the additional statistical information requested in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly with the breakdown by month and county in respect of properties in the scheme when the information is to hand.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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514. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for details on the content of the induction course given to all newly arrived international protection applications and beneficiaries of temporary protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4838/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy, for your question.

In terms of international protection applicants, we are currently accommodating over 32,000 people, over 9,000 of whom are children with their family. We accommodate people at over 320 different centres nationwide.

All residents of IPAS accommodation are provided with a dedicated IPAS Resident Handbook - this handbook contains information about Ireland, the international protection process, supports available to persons in the protection process and information about practical services like schools and community services.

The handbook is currently being revised by IPAS to ensure it is up to date and user- friendly.

The handbook is available online and in translation at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/a6d24-ipas-customer-service/

A range of other support services are provided directly to people in IPAS accommodation centres to support them to settle in, and to support them in their day to day needs while they are resident with us.

This includes an IPAS customer service team, who is available online, or at resident clinics on site, to assist people to resolve any issues that arise in their accommodation, including responding to and resolving complaints.

We also provide a resident welfare service, which assists residents in accessing wider needs from other agencies or Government Departments and looks at people's welfare needs, e.g. health and social care, education or other entitlements and needs.

My Department also provides funding for integration teams within each Local Authority, and a range of funding schemes for communities, to support integration of people who newly arrive to an area. The Local Authority Integration Teams provide a range of supports to both new and longer-term residents, connecting them with the wider community as a whole. More information on the work of the LAITs is available here:

IPAS is currently experiencing an acute accommodation shortage for international protection applicants who enter the country and require accommodation. Families with children and vulnerable persons are prioritised for accommodation. All single men are offered a vulnerability triage on the day of their application for international protection.

Due to ongoing shortages of suitable accommodation, over 3,300 people who have applied for international protection since December 2023 have not been offered accommodation. In this instance, a different information resource is provided to people, in their own language, and is also explained to them by Assessment Officers from IPAS.

IPAS has grant agreements in place with a number of charitable organisations to provide direct support including food, clothing, advice and signposting to relevant services, for people who are unaccommodated by IPAS. The leaflet explains the alternative material reception conditions (enhanced daily expenses allowance) and provides information on how to access support services.

Newly arriving Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) are given a wide range of information supports both in terms of one to one conversations and Departmental/Agency related documents.

All arrivals to the Citywest Transit Hub are greeted by the South Dublin Volunteer Centre team who provide assistance in directing people to the correct department depending on the reason for their visit to Citywest. If their query cannot be dealt with in Citywest the volunteer team provide them with the relevant helpdesk email address to submit their query.

New arrivals are given information by the Department of Social Protection, by the Department of Justice and by the HSE as they pass through each service. They are also assisted by International Organization for Migration (IOM) with form filling and with any queries they may have in advance of dealing with the specific departments/agencies.

Once granted Temporary Protection by the Department of Justice, any people that require access to State-supported accommodation are directed to my officials where they are assigned accommodation. The specific documents issued to by my Department at this point are:

1. Welcome Letter: The purpose of the letter is to explain the support being provided once TP has been granted i.e. provision of accommodation.
2. The Exemption Letter: This is issued to BOTPs who are exempt from the 90- day accommodation policy introduced in March 2024.
3. DSP Pack: This is given to BOTPs assigned to 90-day DACs to claim income support