Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the tendering procedure that has been followed in respect of the procurement of accommodation centres for asylum seekers; if he will provide details of all contracts currently in existence, their duration, and the basis on which they were awarded and if he will outline the inspection systems in place for these centres [38427/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers under the Direct Provision system. Under this system, asylum seeker residents are provided with full board accommodation free of utility or other cost. At the end of September, 2010 a total of 47 centres throughout the country accommodating 6,288 persons seeking international protection were under contract to the RIA.

In meeting its general accommodation responsibilities, RIA does not lease or rent premises from commercial contractors. Rather it 'contracts-in' a comprehensive range of services, which include accommodation, catering, management, housekeeping, laundry, etc, for a fixed period of time.

In managing this process, RIA has advertised annually in the national press for expressions of interest from persons interested in providing accommodation and ancillary services for asylum seekers. No newcomers are prevented from coming into the market. In procuring direct provision accommodation and ancillary facilities, specific regard is had to the following:-

- Type of accommodation being offered (hotel, guest house, hostel etc.)

- Location

- Local population and numbers of asylum seekers, if any, already residing in the area

- Local infrastructure (transport, schools, hospitals, shops etc.)

- Facilities being offered by proprietor ( recreation, communal rooms, en-suites, etc.)

- Facilities for other Government agencies (HSE, Refugee Legal Services etc.).

RIA endeavours to achieve both best value for money and as even a spread as possible of asylum seekers throughout the country and, in its procurement process, negotiations can take place with a number of commercial entities. The Deputy will be aware that I have recently presented to the Oireachtas Library a copy of the Value For Money (VFM) review in respect of spending by RIA on asylum seeker accommodation. The report can also be viewed on the RIA website: www.ria.gov.ie. The review group had a steering committee, comprising officials from my Department, the Department of Finance and an independent Chairperson. This report made a detailed examination of RIA's procurement function. That report is undergoing a detailed analysis in RIA having regard to the Review Group's own acknowledgement of the unique challenges in this particular area of procurement - unpredictability of demand, dispersal, local opposition, children settled in schools and so on.

It is important to point out that RIA constantly engages with its contractors to ensure that value for money is being achieved and that the contractor is complying with standards of accommodation, bed-usage, health and safety etc. as set out in the contract and in other legal provisions.

The RIA monitors this service delivery using a number of tools, including:

RIA (internal) Inspections Unit visits (minimum of 2 per centre per year);

Independent Inspections by a commercial firm, QTS limited, under contract to RIA (minimum of 1 per centre per year);

Examination of resident register returns, including trends in 'attendance' (weekly at RIA);

RIA Information Clinics (one-to-one with residents) (minimum of 2 per centre per year);

On-the-spot visits by RIA officers;

Bed-Audit Reviews (targeting contract compliance and bed usage).

The current contract details are in the following table: