Ireland's Cabinet has approved the purchase of Dublin's Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre for international protection accommodation, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O'Callaghan announced today, Tuesday, June 17.
The purchase of the site 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 Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said in a statement today.
The site, which is already being used for both international protection and Ukraine accommodation, currently has capacity to accommodate approximately 2,300 people between the hotel and the Convention Centre.
The State has been leasing the site since 2020, first as part of the COVID-19 response and subsequently since 2022 as a transit hub and accommodation centre for Ukrainian citizens and people seeking international protection.
The property comprises of a hotel with 764 bedrooms and 12 meeting rooms, a large multi-purpose convention centre:a leisure centre with conferencing facilities: a 6.7-hectare site with planning permission for a solar farm, a 12.14-hectare site with planning permission for a cemetery, telecommunications Infrastructure (telecoms masts); and two car parks with just under 500 car park spaces.
It is situated with access to Dublin Airport via the M50 and transport links including the Luas and bus routes to the city centre.
The government today approved the State purchase of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre.
The purchase is part of the strategy to develop a sustainable accommodation system for people seeking international protection.
Read more https://t.co/QNY805QUkL@OCallaghanJim pic.twitter.com/jwFp2g3SkD
— Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (@DeptJusticeIRL) June 17, 2025
“In a sector that has seen extremely high costs in recent times, purchasing Citywest makes prudent financial sense for the State compared to costs of leasing the site," Minister O'Callaghan said on Tuesday.
"The purchase represents a payback period to the State of approximately four years, and over 25 years, the purchase and operating cost model offer savings of more than €1 billion, while delivering a permanent State asset."
He continued: "I am committed to reforming Ireland’s international protection system to ensure its efficiency and robustness. A stable and sustainable accommodation network is a central element of that reform.
"My goal is to improve processing systems so that people can receive a decision quickly and fairly, curtailing the need for constant growth in our accommodation system.
"Purchasing Citywest is a hugely significant step towards achieving this. It is an opportunity to deliver a State-owned accommodation centre. State-owned centres are part of the Government’s long-term plan to reduce the reliance on private accommodation providers in communities resulting in better value for money of public funds and a more efficient international protection system.”
The Department noted that the site will also enable the State to meet our commitments under Minister O’Callaghan’s International Protection Bill, which is currently being progressed.
Ireland's Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O'Callaghan. (RollingNews.ie)
Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy TD also welcomed the decision to purchase the Citywest site: “The purchase of this site comes with a strong commitment to engagement with the local community.
"There are no immediate plans to increase the capacity at the Citywest site, and the Department wants to support amenities, local services, and integration in the area.
"Our Community Engagement team is ready to begin working closely with local community leaders, community groups and stakeholders.”
The Department said on Tuesday that following the purchase, it will initiate a transition plan with the current service provider for a period of 12 months to ensure there is no disruption to the accommodation services at the site.
The service provider will continue to oversee the management and provision of services including catering, cleaning, maintenance and security, resident check in, operational support, finance and other services.
There are no immediate plans to increase capacity at the site as part of the purchase.
The Department is also in ongoing discussions to ensure the leisure centre on the site remains open to the public following the purchase. The leisure centre has approximately 3,000 members and is a valuable amenity for the local community.
International Protection Accommodation
The Department noted on Tuesday that providing reception conditions – accommodation and other basic supports – to people seeking international protection is part of Irish and EU law.
The State is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people in over 320 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country, including 9,500 children with their families.
The 2024 Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for IP applicants supports the move towards a greater proportion of State-owned accommodation, reducing the current high level of reliance on private providers. A core stock of 14,000 State-owned beds is to be delivered by 2028, supplemented by high-standard commercial providers as needed.
The multi-strand approach focuses on both increasing State-owned permanent capacity, and upgrading additional contingency accommodation, developed to specific national standards.
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