Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons in the direct provision system; the total cost to the Exchequer of the current system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39608/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) is a functional unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department and is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers while their application for protection is being processed.

The following are the details of expenditure by RIA and centre occupancy in recent years:

A breakdown of this expenditure is available in the RIA Annual Reports for the years up to 2012 and these can be found on the RIA website at www.ria.gov.ie.

The above expenditure does not include the cost of welfare, educational or medical provision to asylum seekers. The latest figures that are available in that regard show that in the five years to the end of 2011, the total amount spent across the whole of Government on asylum seekers was in the region of €1 billion of which just over €400 million was spent on the direct provision system.