The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has identified three properties that “have the potential to be suitable for accommodation” for Ukrainian refugees, according to the minister for agriculture.
The locations of the properties have not been disclosed.
Minister Charlie McConalogue confirmed that his department had received a request from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to identify properties under the control of DAFM “for the purposes of providing accommodation to international protection applicants or beneficiaries of temporary protection”.
Minister Roderic O’Gorman has appealed to all government ministers for “urgent assistance” to identify vacant properties – from sports halls to departmental buildings and conference facilities – where he said “mattresses [and/or] sleeping bags could be set out for people”.
In a response to a question raised in the Dáil by the Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, Minister McConalogue said that the DAFM had reviewed its property portfolio to identify land and buildings.
“My department notified the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth of three properties that have the potential to be suitable for accommodation.
“However, extensive works would be required to make them properly habitable. Details of these three properties have been uploaded onto the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage geo-spatial mapping database,” the minister said.
DAFM identified six sites
Minister McConalogue also highlighted that the DAFM had identified six sites that “could potentially be used to meet the medium- to long-term accommodation and housing requirements”.
However, he said that “extensive ground works would be needed to prepare these sites for construction projects”.
It is understood the sites are currently used for “agricultural purposes” and as a result would not have the “required services” to provide suitable accommodation for Ukrainian refugees at this time.
Minister McConalogue told Deputy Nolan that he is “very supportive of Minister O’Gorman’s efforts to ensure that Ireland continues to meet its international and humanitarian obligations”.
He said his department would continue to work with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in this regard.
Latest figures suggest that Ireland has accommodated in the region of more than 75,000 people between International Protection (IP) applicants and those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
But Minister O’Gorman’s department has repeatedly warned that Ireland’s response to refugees “has now entered an extremely difficult phase” and that there is insufficient accommodation available nationwide.