Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few other questions. Asylum seeker accommodation is referenced on page 24 of the report and the amount paid for same was €64 million. Ms McPhillips told us earlier that there are about 5,300 asylum seekers in the system, with approximately 80% in private accommodation. That would mean that roughly 4,220 asylum seekers are in private accommodation. Therefore, the per annum payment for each person is approximately €12,000, or €230 per week. When the Department is negotiating contracts with the 28 private providers in various locations, does it have a rule of thumb or does the rate per person change depending on the location? Would the rates vary significantly between Dublin, Cork, Portlaoise and Donegal, for example?