A Fine Gael Senator has called for an end to a planning loophole that allows derelict or vacant properties to be converted into accommodation for international protection applicants without full planning permission.

Senator Mark Duffy said the exemption is damaging trust between communities, elected representatives, and local authorities.

"The exemption as long as it exists will cause an ongoing breakdown in social cohesion and trust between communities, public representatives and local authorities," Senator Duffy said.

He added: "In every town and village in Ireland when work starts on any vacant or derelict building the immediate suspicion is that it would be used for International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) purposes. While not always the case, the lack of clarity for communities and local representatives is eroding trust and certainty. This is often fuelled by online agitators and some political representatives who use it for their own political gain."

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Senator Duffy warned that the planning process currently leaves communities without reliable information, leaving them to rely on unverified sources. He said a mechanism is needed to dispel fears, which does not currently exist.

"As the numbers of arrivals in Ireland is reducing, now is the time to end this planning exemption. Currently it is being exploited by private speculators who have no humanitarian motivation, only a financial one," he said.

He highlighted cases in Mayo where property owners have received planning exemptions and carried out works on buildings without certainty of a state contract. The developer can then apply for planning retention, changing the property's use from IPAS accommodation to standard residential.

Senator Duffy concluded by noting the wider consequences for public confidence in the planning system.

"It can be both difficult and expensive for couples to get through the planning process for their one-off forever home, and for developers with larger housing projects in towns. The double standards created by this planning exemption is pitting people against each other and creating a level of resentment in society, which is being preyed upon by those who exploit it online and in communities."