David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For the State to meet its obligations as set out in Directive 2013/33/EU, which lays down standards for the reception of persons seeking international protection, and SI 230 of 2018, the State must have available sufficient accommodation to meet the demand of persons in the protection process. Due to significant demand, my Department has sought to identify additional accommodation by publishing notices seeking expressions of interest in the national press as the current accommodation portfolio will not meet the demand. It is by way of an expression of interest in response that the premises in Wicklow town and elsewhere were offered to the Department. To answer Deputy Fitzmaurice in that respect, officials do not go around looking for places. They are offered to the Department by the owners. As with all our accommodation centres, whether they are located in rural or urban areas, my Department will work closely with all relevant State agencies such as the Heath Service Executive and the Departments of Education and Skills and Employment Affairs and Social Protection to ensure that the services the residents of the accommodation centre require will be available to them.

All contractors are obliged to meet the reasonable transport needs of residents. Where an accommodation centre is not in place where public transport is readily available, additional transport arrangements are provided in consultation with Reception and Integration Agency. I stress that transport costs are funded through the local community welfare officer or RIA as appropriate. The contractor at each centre will also be required to set up a "friends of the centre" group as recommended in the McMahon report to facilitate linkages between the residents and the local community to encourage integration. My Department works closely with such groups to achieve these aims. Planning is checked with the relevant local authority to ensure there is compliance. Fire regulations are also checked out with the local authority. Recreation areas are important, as Deputy Fitzmaurice points out, and they are available. I cannot answer any questions about legal challenges. Deputy Brady asked if other sites were looked at but it does not work that way. Centres are offered on foot of a call for expressions of interest. If a centre is suitable, the Department enters into discussions with the owner or contractor to agree a contract to provide for people. We are all concerned about the people who come here looking for protection. That is paramount.

These are not Magdalen laundries. People are free to come and go. I ask that people do not use that kind of terminology as it is not fair to the people who live in the centres to have them described as holding camps. That is not the case. People are free to come and go from the accommodation which is offered to them. They do not have to take that offer up and some do not. Some people have friends and relatives with whom they can stay. If somebody arrives at Dublin Airport, Cork Airport or any of the ports and applies for asylum tonight, he or she will be offered accommodation if he or she needs it.

The likely alternative is for them to be on the streets and no Members want that. We are currently at capacity because approximately 3,500 people will seek accommodation under that process this year. That is why we put out a call for expressions of interest under which interested parties will offer accommodation to the Reception and Integration Agency, RIA.

There is no current plan to dismantle our accommodation centres because there is no available alternative. Similar systems are in operation across Europe. The McMahon report has been published and the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children ensure that standards in direct provision are as high as possible. As the Deputies will be aware, there was a change to the law as alluded to by Deputy Fitzmaurice to speed up the decision-making process to progress people through the system. The number of people in the system varies with frequent arrivals and departures. We are doing our best to move people through the system as quickly as possible.

See this speech in context