Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform if direct living accommodation can be provided in the Dublin region in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44643/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers in accordance with the Government policy of direct provision and dispersal. Before dealing with the substantive question, the background of the person's history in the State needs to be set out as the details supplied contain errors. The first formal presentation by this person to the immigration authorities was on the date of her asylum application on 26 August, 2008 (at age 19 years) but claims to have been in the State since January, 2005. The details supplied by the Deputy are unclear but also suggest that this person has been living in the State since the age of 5. This is not the case.

This person refused RIA accommodation in 2008 and has only recently sought to avail of RIA accommodation. The RIA understands that this person was living with family members in the interim. In accordance with its accommodation policy, the RIA offered this person accommodation at Lisbrook accommodation centre in Galway city but this offer was refused. The RIA must manage its bed space allocation on the basis of demand for beds from newly arrived asylum seekers and those seeking to access or return to RIA accommodation at a latter date. Allocation is based on availability and other criteria and it is on this basis that the offer of accommodation at Lisbrook accommodation centre was made.

Notwithstanding this, if the person referred to in the details supplied wishes to write to the RIA again in respect of her specific need to be within access of north County Dublin, the RIA will give further consideration to the request. Such correspondence should issue to: Operations Unit, RIA, PO Box 11487 Dublin 2

The Deputy should be aware that queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases, including accommodation status at the RIA, may be made directly to INIS by Email using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. The service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek this information through the more administratively expensive Parliamentary Questions process.