Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the changes he will make to the direct provision system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16727/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 36 and 44 together.

The Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers while their protection applications are being processed.

As of today, RIA has 46 asylum seeker accommodation centres across 19 counties accommodating almost 5,800 residents. The system is a constantly evolving one, taking account of the ebb and flow of residents and of the financial resources available to RIA. The numbers needing to be accommodated by RIA have declined by 7% in the past year and this trend is continuing downwards. The 2011 estimates provision for RIA is €67.5 million, down €10 million (13%) from last year. Added to this is the requirement by RIA – as recommended in last year's Value for Money (VFM) Report - to maintain an overall operational 'spare capacity' of less than 10%. Hence, by dint of a decline in demand, the number of asylum accommodation centres is falling. Five centres closed in 2008, six in 2009, eight in 2010 and more will be closed or downsized later this year.

The direct provision system is designed to deliver humane and cost efficient housing for persons who are awaiting determination of their protection claims. It is my objective to speed up the asylum determination process to the greatest possible extent, consistent with natural justice and asylum law, to keep the number of persons housed in this system as low as humanly possible.