The United Nations Refugee Agency has raised concerns at the continued use of tented accommodation for asylum seekers in Ireland as the weather gets colder.
The Irish Refugee Council also said it also has "grave concerns about people living in tents as the weather gets colder".
More than 450 international protection applicants live in three tented accommodation sites, located in Dublin, Clare and Westmeath.
As of the 8 October, the majority, around 319 were living on the grounds of the former Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum.
The tented facility in Columb Barracks in Mullingar is accommodating 56 international protection applicants, while tents alongside the direct provision centre in Knockalisheen in Meelick in Clare are accommodating 76 asylum seekers.
A site used for tented accommodation to house Ukrainian refugees in Stradbally in Co Laois was due to close tomorrow, but tonight the Department of Integration announced that site would pivot to providing accommodation in heated cabins instead from next month.
The Head of the Dublin Office of the UNHCR, Enda O'Neill, said it had visited a number of tented accommodation sites in recent weeks, and while "it is clear that the authorities are doing their best to keep people safe, warm and dry... it is ultimately very difficult to weather-proof tents against falling temperatures, rain and wind".
"While we acknowledge that the challenges facing the Government in light of the numbers arriving into Ireland, both from Ukraine and other countries are significant, the fact that hundreds of people are still living in tented accommodation as winter approaches highlights the importance of sustainable planning and innovative solutions to our accommodation challenges," Mr O'Neill said.
"UNHCR believes asylum seekers should not be accommodated in tents except when absolutely necessary, where no alternative, more appropriate solutions are available, and only as a temporary, time-limited measure in exceptional circumstances."
The UNHCR has said that the "modular, pod-like units, such as those currently being installed at Columb Barracks in Mullingar, are a much better solution than the tented accommodation being used at several sites around the country."
The CEO of the Irish Refugee Council Nick Henderson has said described tented accommodation as " fundamentally inappropriate".
Mr Henderson said that "as of last week there are 451 people in tents, an increase in 100 from the previous week."
"We have grave concerns about people living in tents as the weather gets colder. We visited the Central Mental Hospital location last week and met with people living there," Mr Henderson said.
"People spoke of the difficulty in living and sleeping in a temporary tent, particularly in bad weather," he added.
"We will be relaying these concerns and issues to the Department of Children."
Following a query as to length of time people are spending living in tents and whether the department intends to cease using tented accommodation as the weather gets colder, a spokesperson for the Department of Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth said that "due to the emergency nature of the accommodation crisis, it is not possible to state what the average length of stay is for residents".
The spokesperson said that "during periods of heavy rain or strong winds, all tent entrances are securely sealed to prevent any water ingress, ensuring residents remain dry and safe."
They also pointed to the fact that a plan has been put in place to deal with "extreme weather" events, including "alternative locations to move residents to for the duration of the weather event, in so far as possible."
