1353. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the response to serious concerns regarding the impact of the Citywest IPAS accommodation centre (details supplied); the duty-of-care assessment that has been carried out for the existing local community and for businesses operating within the Citywest campus since the State acquired the complex; the Department, agency, centre operator, security provider, An Garda Síochána structure or other body that is accountable for responding to safety concerns both inside the campus grounds and in the surrounding village areas; the way in which he plans to ensure to ensure the safety of staff, customers, clients and visitors of premises operating within the Citywest campus grounds; the number of reported incidents, complaints or Garda notifications in the past 12 months involving public intoxication, drug use, aggressive behaviour, intimidation, antisocial behaviour or breaches of house rules, broken down between incidents within the Citywest IPAS centre, incidents within the wider Citywest campus grounds, and incidents reported in the surrounding local communities of Saggart, Rathcoole and Citywest; the current management escalation process for repeated breaches; if he will commit to open public engagement with residents and businesses rather than invitation-only meetings; the timeline for the promised Garda station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42351/26]

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.

The purchase of this site came with a strong commitment to engagement with the local community. 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.

The engagement process is co-designed with the Local Authority and implemented in collaboration with other local stakeholders, including the Local Development Company, South Dublin County Partnership.

The engagement process ensures that we listen to the issues that have been identified at local level, to best support planning for essential supports and services that will assist with the integration process.

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.

The contracted accommodation provider at an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre is obliged to ensure provision of staffing and services at the centre. Security and supervision arrangements are provided for under the contract and include the need to comply with the licensing requirements of the Private Security Authority (PSA).

The department is committed to ensuring that the local community has access to accurate information about this centre.

Information is provided through the dedicated webpage www.gov.ie/citywest, direct contact with the Community Engagement Team through email and meetings with community stakeholders and the distribution of a leaflet to over 6,000 homes and businesses in the area around the centre, including Saggart and Rathcoole.

When any incident occurs, IPAS teams engage with centre management to resolve the issue at hand. In this regard, the Department routinely engages with all providers in relation to incident response and policy compliance.

Please see the following table updated to include statistics on incidents recorded in IPAS accommodation centres, dating back to 2021.

It should be noted when reviewing the statistics above that the number of people living in IPAS accommodation has increased very significantly over the last 5 years.

Current resident numbers are approximately 33,000. Resident numbers at the end of 2021 were just over 7,000.

Centre management in all IPAS centres have an ongoing working relationship with the local Gardaí. If there is ever any concern in relation to acts of violence or other criminal activity in any IPAS setting, An Garda Síochána are contacted.

Data on operational actions by An Garda Síochána or convictions achieved against persons involved in threatening violent behaviour in IPAS centres is not collated by my department.