Written answers

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Department of Justice and Equality

Asylum Seeker Accommodation

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will confirm the number of families in direct provision who have been allocated a single room. [15727/13]

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide in tabular form a list of all direct provision centres housing asylum seekers; the name of the private operator who runs each centre; the number of bathrooms in each centre; and the number of bedrooms in each centre. [15724/13]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 257 together.

The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), a functional unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers in the direct provision system while their application for protection is being processed.

The following table provides information on the contractors currently providing accommodation services to asylum seekers in the direct provision system. The collation of the other information requested by the Deputy would require a detailed survey of all direct provision accommodation and such detail could not be produced without diverting scarce resources from other necessary activities.

LIST OF CURRENT DIRECT PROVISION CENTRES AND CONTRACTORS 25/03/2013

-
COUNTYDIRECT PROVISION ACCOMMODATION CENTRES [COMMERCIAL]  
1
CORKBarlow PropertiesAshbourne Hse Hotel, Glounthane
2
D AND A LTDClonakilty Lodge, Clonakilty
3
Alan Hyde and Ted MurphyGlen Vera, Wellington Road, Cork 
4
Millstreet Equestrian Services LtdMillstreet Accommodation Centre 
5
DonegalShane TimonyCliffview, Donegal Town
6
Dublin Reception CentreECCI IrelandBalseskin, St. Margarets, Co. Dublin
7
DublinOld George LtdGeorgian Court, 77 - 79 Lower Gardiner St., Dublin 1
8
ECCI Ireland LtdHatch Hall, 28A Lower Hatch St. Dublin 2
9
Mo Bhaile LtdThe Staircase, 21 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 
10
Fazyard LtdThe Towers, Ninth Lock Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22
11
GalwayMaplestar LtdEglinton Hotel, Salthill, Galway
12
Shaun HennellyGreat Western House, Eyre Square, Galway
13
KildareCherryport LtdEyre Powell Hotel, Main St., Newbridge
14
LaoisFazyard LtdThe Montague Hotel, Emo, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
15
LimerickBirch Rentals LtdHanratty's Hotel, Glentworth St., Limerick
16
Baycaster LtdMount Trenchard, Foynes
17
Westbourne Holiday Hostel LtdWestbourne Holiday Hostel, Dock Rd., Limerick
18
MayoBridgestock LtdOld Convent, Abbey Street, Ballyhaunis
19
MeathMosney PLCMosney Holiday Centre, 
20
MonaghanTattonward LtdSt Patricks Former Agricultural College, Monaghan
21
SligoBridgestock LtdGlobe House, Chapel Hill, Sligo  
22
Tipperary (South)Millstreet Equestrian Services LtdBridgewater House, Carrick-on-Suir
23
WaterfordAtlantic Blue LtdAtlantic House, Railway Square, Tramore
24
Oceanview Accommodation LtdOcean View, The Esplanade, Tramore
25
Stompool Investments LtdBirchwood House, Ballytruckle Road, Waterford
26
Millstreet Equestrian Services LtdViking House, Coffee House Lane, Waterford
COUNTYDIRECT PROVISION ACCOMMODATION CENTRES [STATE OWNED]  
27
Clare Campbell Catering Ltd               t/a Aramark IrelandKnockalisheen
28
Cork Campbell Catering Ltd               t/a Aramark IrelandKinsale Road
29
Westmeath Campbell Catering Ltd               t/a Aramark IrelandLissywoolen Accommodation Centre, Athlone
30
KerryOFM LtdAtlas House, Killarney
31
Atlas House, Tralee
32
Johnston Marina, Tralee
33
Park Lodge, Park Road, Killarney

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide, in a tabular format, the number of asylum seekers in temporary accommodation for one year, two years, three years, four years, five years and over five years. [15728/13]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), a functional unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, is responsible for the accommodation of persons under the system of direct provision while their applications for international protection are being processed.

RIA itself has no function in determining whether someone should stay or not in its accommodation, except in the context of rare instances of serious and repeated misbehaviour. Its function is to provide accommodation and ancillary services to those who have sought international protection and who otherwise have no means of supporting themselves.

In relation to the information provided below which is collated from the RIA database, it is important to note that it is not possible to specify exactly how long each person has resided in RIA accommodation. Protection applicants are not required to live in RIA accommodation and in many cases, may move in and out of the direct provision system as their circumstances change. The following information relates to the length of time that has elapsed since applicants for international protection who are in the direct provision system first made their application. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean that those persons have lived in RIA accommodation for all of that period.

Subject to the important clarifications as indicated above, the information sought by the Deputy is as follows: number of persons in RIA accommodation for up to one year since they lodged their application is 593, between one year and two years is 489, between two years and three years is 533, between three and four years is 622, between four and five years is 806 and in excess of five years 1,712.

I acknowledge that the length of time spent in direct provision is an issue to be addressed and I have taken a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications including redeployment of resources and the establishment of a legal panel to assist INIS in processing a cohort of repatriation cases. I would expect to see significant dividends, in terms of cases finalised, from this initiative in the coming months. Further, I plan to republish the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010 to create a single procedure for the processing of applications. These steps will reduce the time a person spends in direct provision while they await a final decision on their case.

Finally, it should be noted that there are significant numbers of persons living in RIA accommodation who may have exhausted the protection process but who await the outcome of court proceedings on aspects of their cases.

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