In 2024, the Ombudsman office received 109 complaints from International Protection (IP) Applicants who are living in state accommodation and receiving direct provision and related services provided by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), and Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection residing in serviced accommodation provided by the Ukraine Crisis Temporary Accommodation Team. Both agencies were part of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in 2024.
This 2024 figure represents a 21% increase on the 90 complaints it received in 2023. The highest number of complaints was about IPAS (96). It dealt with 93 of the 109 complaints received by year-end, 2024.
Among the issues complained about were, the standard of accommodation (41), transfers from one IPAS accommodation centre to another (30), and involuntary removal from a centre (6). The Ombudsman office upheld 17% of complaints in this sector and provided some form of assistance in a further 26% of complaints. 57% of complaints were not upheld. The refusal of transfer requests from IP applicants by IPAS, and the transfer of "People with Status" were a feature of a number of complaints from people living in IPAS accommodation centres.
In 2024, as in previous years, IPAS?s position was that it could not facilitate intercentre transfer requests due to the continued constraints on the system, and that its accommodation portfolio was at full capacity. In 2024, IPAS introduced a policy to progress People with Status out of state accommodation by transferring those individuals longest with status from IPAS accommodation centres into available Emergency Accommodation, so that those in the International Protection process and new entrants to the system can avail of the services provided in IPAS accommodation.
The Ombudsman will continue to engage with IPAS on this issue and will only proceed with complaints about transfer requests under exceptional circumstances in which it identifies an absolute need. In April 2024, the Ombudsman and members of his International Protection Sector Team visited City West Transit Hub and Crooksling Accommodation Centre in Dublin, to inform himself as to how operations are run in these centres and the plan for further development.
This information gathering assists this Office in understanding the issues on the ground when it receives complaints about such accommodation centres.
In 2024, the Ombudsman office engaged further with NGOs working in the sector to discuss issues of concern which the Ombudsman may be able to investigate. It received several complaints in 2024 through representatives in NGOs on behalf of individual complainants. The Ombudsman welcomes this collaborative approach and intends to engage further with stakeholders in the future.