Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 162: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, in recent times, property has been acquired or disposed of in the Dublin area by or on behalf of an agency (details supplied); the details of same and in particular the arrangements negotiated in relation to a property (details supplied). [34795/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers and is obliged to provide sufficient accommodation at all times for this purpose. A total of 3,477 applications for asylum have been made to-date during 2006 and there are currently 5,215 asylum seekers accommodated in 55 RIA centres throughout the State.

As part of the management of this process, the RIA advertised in the national press on the 10th July, 2006 for "expressions of interest from persons interested in providing accommodation and ancillary services for asylum seekers". In response to the advertisement an offer of the accommodation in question was made to RIA.

The contractual arrangements in this case represent good value for money in the prevailing market conditions in Dublin and are in line with other contractual arrangements for the provision of such accommodation.

The centre will have an overall capacity for 250 persons for approximately 60-65 families. The centre opened on the 10th October, 2006 and the contract runs until the 24th December, 2012. To date a total of 21 families have been placed there. The centre is not the largest in RIA's portfolio — there are seven other centres of similar or larger size. No contracts for accommodation centres have been discontinued in Dublin in the last five months.