Almost 24,000 people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine have sought short-term accommodation from the Department of Children, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
But a senior civil servant warned that it's getting harder to find suitable accommodation and some places provided to date are simply "not sustainable".
Kevin McCarthy, Secretary General of the Department of Children and Equality, told the Committee of Public Accounts that 23,894 Ukrainians have asked for emergency quarters.
"The vast majority of those are in either hotel, or B&B, or guest house accommodation," he said.
But some are sleeping on "camp beds in community halls or other congregated settings which are not of a standard that we want to be providing people", he said, adding that these arrangements "are not sustainable."
While some hotels are "contracted to the end of this year", and other arrangements stretch "beyond that period", he stressed that no one knows how long accommodation will be needed for.
"It's becoming increasingly difficult to bring new capacity on stream," Mr McCarthy cautioned, and acknowledged that the department has to date "relied heavily" on local authorities, particularly in sourcing premises over weekends.
Some 4,000 places will be freed up by departing students over the coming months, but he noted that these will "have to be vacated at the end of summer."
Mr McCarthy also revealed that his department is coming under additional pressure from a sharp rise in the number of people seeking asylum.
Some 3,500 people were expected to seek international protection this year.
That number has already reached 4,500, Mr McCarthy said, emphasising that this "is quite separate" from those fleeing war in Ukraine.
The number of those seeking asylum is "increasing very significantly, which is going to put us under pressure", he warned.
Asked about how arrivals from Ukraine are being processed, he noted that, "There's now a single reception and transit hub in Citywest," with various service providers operating there.
"Well over 90%" are arriving through Dublin Airport, he told Sinn Féin Deputy Imelda Munster.
Committee members strongly criticised the department's widespread and documented failure to meet procurement standards in 2020, with 151 contracts worth over €91 million found to have fallen short, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Fine Gael's Alan Dillon welcomed Mr McCarthy for what was his first appearance before the committee.
And Committee Chair Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley welcomed Labour TD Alan Kelly, who is replacing his colleague Sean Sherlock, who has completed a two year stint on the Public Accounts Committee.
