Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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625. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality in view of the fact that Ireland's direct provision system was 14 years old last week, his plans to get rid of the current system and replace it with something more modern, humane and fit for purpose. [19617/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the operation of the system of direct provision. There are currently 34 asylum accommodation centres under contract to RIA, providing accommodation and ancillary services to 4,300 persons, a decrease of 39% since the end of 2008. The operation of the direct provision system is kept under review. I have previously acknowledged that, while the direct provision system is not ideal, it is a system which facilitates the State providing a roof over the head of those seeking asylum or seeking other grounds to be allowed, on humanitarian grounds, to stay in the State and has provided accommodation to more than 53,00 people in all. It allows the State to provide such accommodation in a manner that facilitates resources being used economically in circumstances where the State is in financial difficulty. There are no cheaper alternatives to the Direct Provision system. A key finding in the 2010 Value for Money Report on the Direct Provision system was that if we were operating a system which facilitated asylum seekers in living independent lives in individual housing with social welfare support and payments, aside from the asylum 'pull factor' it would likely create, the cost to the exchequer would be double what is currently paid under the existing system.

The Direct Provision system remains a key pillar of the State's asylum and immigration system. The Government must therefore take cognisance of the likely consequences of any changes to the Direct Provision system. My efforts therefore continue to be focussed on addressing the factors which lead to delays in the processing of cases are dealt with so that asylum seekers spend as little time as is necessary in that accommodation system as well as to improving the facilities available in direct provision centres. To that end, work is at an advanced stage for the re-introduction to the Oireachtas of a revised Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill. This is pursuant to the current Government policy of reform in this area, which will include a statutory appeals system and set out rights and obligations in a transparent way.

The new legislation should substantially simplify and streamline the existing arrangements for asylum, subsidiary protection and leave to remain applications. It will do this by making provision for the establishment of a single application procedure, so that applicants can be provided with a final decision on all aspects of their protection application in a more straight forward and timely fashion. In advance of the enactment and commencement of the new legislation and with a view to improving processing in the area of international protection, new arrangements have already been introduced for the processing of subsidiary protection applications in light of recent judgments in the Superior Courts.