Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

139. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons who have died while residing in direct provision during the years 2002 to 2014 inclusive; if she will provide a breakdown of cause of death, location of death (that is hospital), age and gender of deceased. [2927/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers under the Government policy of direct provision and dispersal.

The collation of statistics on deaths of asylum seekers living in direct provision commenced in 2002. During the period 2002 to 2014, there have been 61 deaths of asylum seekers who were residing in direct provision accommodation prior to their deaths. The cause of death is recorded on death certificates. There was one case of suicide involving a newly arrived asylum seeker taking his own life in 2008 while in hospital.

The number of asylum seekers, gender and age profile of those who died between 2002 and 2014 while being provided with accommodation by RIA in direct provision centres are set out in the tables below. While all of these deaths are, of course, tragic, they need to be viewed proportionately and against the background that RIA has provided accommodation for almost 53,000 persons over the course of the fourteen years the direct provision policy has been in place.