We are responsible for monitoring and inspecting international protection accommodation service (IPAS) centres for people seeking international protection in Ireland.

Accommodation for people in the international protection process is operated by IPAS, which comes under the responsibility of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. IPAS provides accommodation, meals and access to support services to people who have applied for international protection (known as asylum seekers) in Ireland. This system was previously called ‘direct provision’.

If you are a service provider of an IPAS centre, visit our Guidance for Providers section of the website (opens new tab). 

On inspection, we check that the service provider, who runs the service, is meeting the required national standards. The standards explain what people living in accommodation centres should expect from the service they are receiving.

We do a lot of things when we visit a service. This includes:

  • Speaking with the people living there, members of staff and the management of the centre to get an insight into how the service is run
  • Reading documentation and other relevant records or paperwork to understand how the people living there are being cared for 
  • Looking at areas where the service could do better
  • Looking at complaints made about the service by people living there to see if they have been resolved.

Open the National Standards for accommodation offered to people in the protection process (2019) (external website).

After an inspection, we write a report on what we saw, heard and found and what it is like to live in the accommodation centre.

If we find that improvements are needed in accommodation centres, the service provider must give us a plan on how and when they will make these improvements.  We will then monitor how the service is doing in making these improvements. 

Leaflets:

We have developed leaflets for people who live in accommodation centres that give information about HIQA and how we inspect and monitor their homes. These leaflets are available in seven different languages and can be downloaded below:

Videos:

We have created videos that explain our inspection process in the same seven languages mentioned above.

 Watch our videos in each language (opens YouTube).

 

We have a list of Frequently Asked Questions about what we do in accommodation centres. It can be downloaded below.

Download the Frequently Asked Questions on HIQA’s inspecting and monitoring of International Protection Accommodation Services (PDF).

We have the power and authority to monitor and inspect  international protection accommodation service centres through the following legislation:

Open the International Protection Act 2026 (external website).

Raise a Concern or Give Feedback about an accommodation centre
Read the guidance documents for accommodation centres
Watch our video on completing a self-assessment questionnaire
Read the national standards
Read inspection reports on accommodation centres