LAST UPDATE | 5 Dec 2023
MINISTER FOR INTEGRATION Roderic O’Gorman has confirmed there is to be an increase to the weekly payment given to International Protection Applicants without accommodation (which is currently €38.50) by €75.
It is understood the additional amount is being given to “assist an applicant in living independently while the State cannot provide accommodation”.
The additional money will bring the weekly total paid to €113.80 a week.
A total of 32 people presented to the IPAS yesterday and were not provided with accommodation, the Department of Integration has confirmed.
Yesterday, it was announced that the state had run out of accommodation for international protection applicants after a number of warnings from the integration minister that the supply was about to run out.
It is understood the 32 people who presented to IPAS yesterday were all male. It is also understood that families and individuals who are deemed most vulnerable are being prioritised to receive some form of accommodation by the department.
O’Gorman said today that once applicants are offered accommodation, this payment will revert to the original lower sum.
The department has said Ireland has a legal obligation to provide material reception conditions for International Protection applicants, including housing, food and a daily expenses allowance.
“In circumstances where the State temporarily runs out of accommodation, the law allows the minister to provide such reception conditions in an alternative manner provided it is for as short a period as possible,” it said in a statement this evening.
The government maintains there is a precedence of EU Member States offering a financial payment when accommodation is temporarily exhausted.
Total weekly payments for IP applicants not in State accommodation range from €37.10 per week in Poland, €46.90 in Romania, €83.30 in Cyprus and €99.40 in France, the Department of Integration states.
O’Gorman told reporters today that officials within his department will work with charities that will be providing day services – such as showering facilities – to applicants, to identify those who are at risk of homelessness, and in need of additional support.
He said that the payment is intended to assist applicants who do not have accommodation provided by the state in “supporting themselves”.
Drop-in day services will be also “provide tents and sleeping bags, where required”, the department has confirmed.
Currently this Department has agreements with two charities to provide these services in Dublin in the event that they are needed, it added.
In addition, the department said it will work closely with the HSE to ensure that health services are provided to all those in need.
All IP applicants who present to the International Protection Office (IPO) during an unaccommodated period will be assessed by IPAS and HSE staff for significant vulnerabilities and health issues, and prioritised for accommodation as necessary, the department said in a statement.
A number of warnings that the state was quickly running out of accommodation came before the confirmation yesterday, including one last week to Cabinet.
Speaking at an event in Dublin on Sunday, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman said it was “likely” that the state was to run out in a matter of days.
A spokesperson for the department said yesterday that those who present to IPAS will be directed to drop-in centres where they can avail to amenities such as showers, hot meals and laundry services.
Department officials are working to bring more bed spaces into use however, in the meantime, drop-in services will provide those who present to them with tents and sleeping bags.
The minister added on Sunday that the department will work with homeless services and An Garda Síochána to identify those who are most at-risk of being vulnerable.
A proposal is on the table to give asylum seekers who cannot get accommodation a weekly payment of €75. This comes after O’Gorman said Sunday that the €30 living expenses would “need to be increased” to assist those who could be sleeping rough.
Government sources said last night that the amount had not been signed off on but it’s understood that a memo is likely to go to cabinet where further discussions are expected.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that the Government is “very, very concerned” about the lack of accommodation available for asylum seekers and will do everything it can to see people housed.
The Tánaiste said the accommodation situation is “challenging”, adding that those claiming the Government could have foreseen the issue are adopting a “too simplistic” approach.
“The situation is challenging,” he said.
O’Gorman on Sunday said that when the state would run out of places to accommodate people it would be “an extremely regrettable position”.
Additional reporting by Christina Finn & PA
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