Written answers

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Department of Justice and Equality

Asylum Seeker Accommodation

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide, in tabular form, the total cost to the State per year for every year since it opened of the Towers Hotel direct provision hostel, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; the total number of adults and children resident at the hostel on 1 January each year for every year since the hostel opened; the number of inspections carried out by Departmental staff or other Government agencies or bodies each year since the hostel opened; the number of adults and children deported while resident at the hostel each year for every year since the hostel was opened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51410/12]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Clondalkin Towers is one of 35 asylum accommodation centres across 17 counties under contract to the Reception & Integration Agency (RIA), an operational unit of the Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, currently providing accommodation to a total of 4,852 persons seeking international protection.

There are currently 240 persons residing in Clondalkin Towers. A breakdown by age and gender of persons residing in the centre on 1 January of each year since the centre began operation on 10 October, 2006 is as follows:

DateOccupancyMalesFemalesChildren (0-17 years)18 years plus
01/01/07*227Not AvailableNot AvailableNot AvailableNot Available
01/01/082607918183177
01/01/092428216094148
01/01/101967711980116
01/01/111937212173120
01/01/122258613987138

(* Prior to this date, annual statistics were not collated in a way to show an age and gender breakdown)

Inspections take place in all centres by RIA staff and by an independent company QTS, to ensure that they are adhering to their contractual obligations. The number of inspections carried out on the Towers since it opened are as follows:

Year
Independent Inspection Company QTS
RIA Inspection
2007
1
0
2008
1
1
2009
1
2
2010
1
1
2011
1
3
2012 (to date)
1
1
Total
6
8

Asylum seekers are not allocated to particular centres based on status of their asylum claim or their length of time in the asylum process. Records are not maintained in such a way as to distinguish one centre from another in terms of residents who have been deported or granted leave to remain: such information would have no practical application or value. It is therefore not possible to provide the Deputy with any information on the number of deportees from the Towers since it opened on 10/10/2006.

In relation to cost, it is assumed that this question relates to the cost of the contract between RIA and the proprietor of the Towers. This is set out in the table below. It does not include costs in relation to the provision of medical, educational or other services to the residents of the Towers, as these costs would be borne by the relevant Government departments dealing with same.

Clondalkin Towers was first contracted to RIA on 10/10/2006. The current contract ends on 24/12/2012. A new contract with a reduced accommodation capacity will follow thereafter covering a further period to 26 June, 2014. As I have explained before in response to previous Dáil Questions, it is not in the interests of the taxpayer that details of current individual contracts are known to the public or to other parties who are, or may be in the future, engaged in negotiations with RIA. Therefore, details of current contracts are not provided. The policy is that the updating of the table of contracts will take place only at the end of January each year in respect of all financial information up to the end of December two years previously, e.g. at the end of January, 2012 the records are updated to end of December 2009. This policy has been upheld by the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Therefore, whilst the current contract in respect of the Towers ends on 24 December, 2012, details of payments under this contract in the table below cover only the period to 31 December, 2009.

CentreContract startContract endValue * (see note)CapacityContractor
The Towers10/10/200631/03/2009€7,993,50050-250Rowtes Ltd
The Towers01/04/200924/12/2012€2,656,500 *250Rowtes Ltd

*where contract date goes beyond 31/12/2009, the value shown represents those payments made up to 31/12/2009.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.