Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that tents will continue to be needed to shelter international protection seekers in emergency situations.
The Fianna Fáil leader also said that the Government needs to prioritise accommodating asylum seekers who have arrived in the state following criticism of the Government’s decision not to accept 350 international protection seekers it had previously agreed to take.
The Department of Integration is currently examining the possibility of embracing tented accommodation within the grounds of the former Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum to provide emergency shelter to international protection applicants.
READ MORE: Taoiseach says Ireland cannot 'realistically or legally' stop accepting asylum seekers
Initial projections are that the site could accommodate up to 176 international protection applicants. If it is decided to use the site, tents will be set up for just three months until work starts on a new housing development which was recently granted planning permission. The site could be used within weeks if it is deemed suitable.
Speaking in Wicklow at Avondale House, Mr Martin said that tents will need to be used.
"Tented accommodation will be there as part of the broader range of accommodation options that will be available to deal with the immediacy of people arriving in," the Tánaiste explained.
"But over time, the length of stay in such tents will be a short one. That's the objective.
"I think we will always need tents to add capacity to the immediate challenges. It can vary at different times of the year in response to a different crisis.
"You could have a very significant flow of migrants in any one week, which would be against the normal average.
"Therefore you wouldn't need emergency capacity such as tented villages and so that accommodation to deal with such immediate pressures that can come on a week-to-week basis.
"The objective would be then that people would move down relatively quickly to more acceptable accommodation."
The Cabinet decided earlier this week not to accept 350 asylum seekers it had agreed to take last year under an EU relocation scheme. Instead, it will donate €1.5 million to the scheme.
The decision was criticised by some, with Labour leader Ivana Bacik saying that the Government had "failed to provide adequate accommodation for people fleeing atrocities".
However, the Tánaiste argued that the Government must "prioritise those who are coming in on our doorstep".
He said that the other refugees are already being accommodated by other countries and that the financial contribution will assist them.
Elsewhere, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris insisted that beds in third-level student accommodation will be available for students again in September.
The Cabinet sub-committee on Ukraine that met on Thursday heard that 5,000 beds would be provided for the summer period.
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