1336. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the process whereby a facility is scheduled to transition to a processing centre in the coming weeks; whether a curfew will be introduced given that none of the new residents will be expected to be working during this period; whether consideration can be given to indoor and outdoor socialising areas in their own right (details supplied); his plans for an on-site shop and post office; the consideration being given to short term educational needs for children of school going age on-site, given the short duration, or English language and cultural lessons for older temporary residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42114/26]

1337. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his plans for the existing residents in a facility (details supplied) who are not subject to deportation orders, and will need to leave following its transition to a processing centre; the consideration that has been given to facilitate them continuing in their existing employment, and for children to continue attendance in local schools and/or access education in alternative schools given that any being processed now would be late applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42115/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1336 and 1337 together.

The Department’s International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation to people seeking international protection. People who are accommodated in IPAS accommodation centres are free to come and go from their accommodation.

The purchase of the Citywest property is a key part of the Government’s strategy to develop a stable and sustainable accommodation system for people seeking international protection by moving away from commercial properties to State-owned centres.

There is an ongoing community engagement programme in place in Citywest, where officials from my Department engage with representatives from the local community and local elected representatives to hear about and work to resolve local service matters that arise.

A number of thematic issues and suggestions to strengthen public services and local infrastructure have been raised during these engagements, as have concerns about antisocial behaviour in the locality. Officials in my Department and centre management continue to work very closely with An Garda Síochána in the area to keep all issues raised under review.

In relation to residents who have to move from one IPAS centre to another, this happens regularly for operational reasons, and if a family are moving with school-age children, supports are provided by the IPAS resident welfare team to ensure school places, if affected, can be established in the new area.

The new International Protection Bill 2026 gives effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and was passed into law last month. The new rules will take effect on 12 June 2026.

The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU including standardised processing times for first-instance decisions: six months for the standard procedure, three months for the accelerated procedure and two months for the examination to determine whether an application is inadmissible.

This gives status to those who are entitled to international protection to rebuild their lives here, while also ensuring faster decision making in respect of those who do not meet the criteria.

Faster processing under the Pact will mean that applicants spend less time in IPAS accommodation, and this will significantly reduce the cost of the asylum system to the State. The Department is working, as part of the implementation plan for the Pact, to identify support services, existing and new, that applicants will require, under the new arrangements that will begin from later this week.