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

I thank Deputy Eugene Murphy for raising this important topic. I also acknowledge his interest and support in Ballaghadereen previously and his sincerity in this regard. It is important to set out for the record and for public awareness the chain of events that led to this development. In January and again in September of this year, the Reception and Integration Agency of my Department published a call in the national press for expressions of interest for premises to meet the increasing demand for accommodation for persons in the protection process, known as asylum seekers. This call sought expressions of interest from parties who may be interested in providing accommodation and related services on an urgent and emergency basis. This was issued in response to the urgent and unforeseen demand for accommodation and related services from those persons arriving in the State seeking international protection.

The criteria against which the Department assessed the offers of accommodation were availability, standard of property, ability to provide communal social spaces for residents, ability to cater at mealtimes and proximity to various other services.

It should be noted that these premises were offered to the Department by individual contractors across the country. The Department did not randomly choose any one location over another location. The owners of the properties came forward and offered them.

Following on-site assessments carried out by staff of the Department, the Shannon Key West Hotel in Roosky, County Leitrim, was deemed to be a suitable premises for the needs of the Department. The premises will be available following refurbishment, is capable of providing meals to residents, has scope to provide the required communal social areas required by residents and is located close to other services. My Department has engaged with the chief executive officer of Leitrim County Council and has provided the elected members of the council with information regarding the opening of the new accommodation centre.

As with every other accommodation centre in the country, my Department works closely with the HSE, the Departments of Education and Skills and Employment Affairs and Social Protection and all other relevant Departments and agencies to co-ordinate the delivery of State services to residents.

The Shannon Key West Hotel will provide accommodation and ancillary services for approximately 80 asylum seekers for one year, pending compliance with all regulatory requirements. The indicative timeline for the opening of the centre is within the next six weeks. I understand there are other legal issues involved at the moment; that is one of the reasons our meeting did not go ahead at this time. As I have indicated, this centre is opening on an emergency and time-limited basis. To meet the accommodation needs in the longer term, the Department has recently commenced a public procurement exercise under which public tenders for the provision of accommodation and ancillary services by way of the independent living model, to persons in the protection process, will be advertised. This process is scheduled to continue throughout 2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2020. This will be delivered via a series of regional competitions to cover the entire State.

As soon as it was known that an agreement was possible, people were notified straightaway. Prior to that, it could be that an agreement would not be possible. As soon as it was known, people were notified. I also wish to stress again that this is on an emergency and time-limited basis. The alternative is for people to be on the streets. We are also working hard using the McMahon report and others to improve and upgrade the standard of accommodation throughout the country; 98% of the recommendations in the McMahon report have been fulfilled. The Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children also can visit all these centres to take complaints. We are in the process at the moment in co-operation with the NGOs of putting together a series of standards to upgrade things even further. As well as that, we have decreased the amount of time people are staying in these centres quite a bit. People are offered accommodation; they are not locked away. They can come and go as they wish. It is not as described by the Deputy.

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