The High Court has been told there are 1,500 people seeking asylum in Ireland who are currently without accommodation.
The figure was outlined by lawyers for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) who are taking the first case of its kind against the State, challenging its failure to provide accommodation and meet the needs of those seeking International Protection here.
Senior Counsel Patricia Brazil said there were more than 1,800 unaccommodated people seeking International Protection at the beginning of the week, until 300 of those were given accommodation following the operation on Mount Street.
She said these were mainly single men – as the State had prioritised families and children.
The full hearing of the IHREC's case is due to begin at the end of this month. But lawyers for the State asked the court for an adjournment.
Senior Counsel David Conlon Smyth said they were asking for a delay because they had received 1,000 pages of documentation from the IHREC.
But he said there had also been "considerable burdens" on the State because of the relocation operation taking place at Mount Street.
He said those who would be swearing affidavits on behalf of the State in relation to this case were very much involved in the multi-agency operation carried out on Wednesday.
He said state agencies were facing a very complex and dynamic situation and documents had to be revised to give details of the Mount Street operation as well as details of the accommodation available at Crooksling and CityWest.
Mr Conlon Smyth said it was unclear who exactly the IHREC were representing. Five or six people had sworn affidavits on the Commission’s behalf stating they did not have accommodation, he said.
And he said the figure of 1,500 people being deployed by the IHREC was not matched by the situation on the ground. He said this issue needed to be crystallised.
The adjournment application was opposed by the IHREC who said the matter was urgent.
Ms Brazil said that when they were given permission to take the challenge in December, there were just over 200 unaccommodated people.
The situation continued to deteriorate she said, and there were now 1,500 people without accommodation.
She said the legal issues in the case had been clear since it began and there was no reason legal submissions could not be filed in time for the hearing to go ahead as planned on 29 May.
The IHREC is asking the court to decide if the failure to provide accommodation to newly arrived asylum seekers is unlawful.
It is the first time the commission has used its power to take a legal action concerning the human rights of a person or group of people.
In December it said it was taking the action because of the "gravity of the situation".
After lawyers for the IHREC said a date a short time later in early June would not be suitable, Ms Justice Hyland said she would not grant the adjournment application.
She said although there had been some new developments, these were relatively limited as they focused on people who had now received accommodation, not on those who were still homeless.
She said the IHREC would have to identify before the hearing exactly how many people were the subject of its application as she said the court could not proceed on a "floating" basis.
