Banks, nightclubs and equestrian centres are among the properties that could be used to house international protection (IP) applicants, according to internal Government documents.
The Department of Integration wants to extend temporary legislation which loosens the rules around which types of properties can be used as asylum seeker accommodation.
In briefing documents seen by The Irish Times that were prepared by the department in advance of Government formation talks in December, officials said statutory instruments should be expanded so that additional property types could be used for IP accommodation.
Officials said the “one area” of “consistent success from a legal perspective” was “the use of a planning exemption that allows certain classes of properties to be temporarily used” in this manner.
The briefing document notes that properties such as hotels and Defence Forces barracks are more commonly used for this purpose. However, officials said many other kinds of properties are “rarely if ever used”, such as schools, colleges or gymnasiums.
Officials added that other property types should be added to the list of buildings covered by statutory instruments. The briefing document states that equestrian centres, banks or other financial institutions, public houses, nightclubs, restaurants and retail properties should be considered.
These types of properties “are being offered as a solution for IP accommodation and currently being rejected”. Officials also want commercial buildings which have been vacant for a number of years, and are not on the exemption list, to be repurposed as accommodation centres.
In the briefing document, officials called for the temporary legislation which allows a variety of properties to be used to house asylum seekers to be extended beyond its current deadline of December 2028 until December 2032.
“This deadline, within the context of the current pressures, is not sufficient.”
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Officials said that capital purchases and the use of emergency powers to build modular units will “dominate Reception Centre delivery in 2025 and 2026″.
Building new IP accommodation centres would likely take at least three years due to the time it takes to secure planning permission and engage with communities before construction begins, officials noted.
“Realistically a site identified in 2025 will take at least three years to receive planning and commence construction, with delivery in 2028/2029.”
More than 18,000 asylum seekers came here in 2024, with another 15,000 expected this year, according to the files. Based on this projection, it is expected that IP accommodation will cost around €1.4 billion in 2025.
The documents also show that the Government hopes to “stabilise” the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland by 2028.
“On foot of successful implementation of the Migration Pact and speedy processing of applications, it will hopefully be necessary to steadily reduce the overall capacity and number of properties in the IPAS portfolio.”
The EU migrant and asylum pact aims to have faster processing of asylum applications, enhanced screening and security checks, and quicker returns of unsuccessful asylum applicants.
As reported by The Irish Times on Friday, the Government has stopped opening new IP accommodation centres in certain parts of the country due to “local and political feedback”.
In terms of tackling misinformation related to accommodation centres, officials said it is “essential” to provide clear and accurate information to the public about “this topical and sensitive area”.
