Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Refugee Protection Programme was approved by Government Decision on 10 September 2015 in response to the migration crisis which has developed in Southern Europe. Among the measures agreed under the Programme was the establishment of a Network of Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROCs) which would be used to provide accommodation and meet the basic needs of asylum seekers relocated from hotspots in Italy and Greece while their applications for refugee status are processed.

Under the provisions of the EU relocation programme, persons considered for relocation who will be accommodated in EROCs upon arrival, must be from countries with a recognition rate for asylum of at least 75%. Accordingly, the expectation is that a large proportion of relocated persons will qualify for refugee status within a very short time. These new centres and the services to be delivered therein, must therefore be established in a manner that facilitates a fast throughput of people from arrival to determination of status while still ensuring they receive sufficient orientation on the societal context in which their applications are being processed and additional integration supports to help them integrate quickly into Irish society where refugee status is granted.

It is in this context that officials in my Department, responsible for implementing the Irish Refugee Protection Programme, were tasked with the sourcing of suitable accommodation and orientation services for the proposed network of EROCs. This involves an assessment of information regarding available State properties provided by the Office of Public Works which is ongoing, and a request for expressions of interest from commercial accommodation providers, which was advertised in the national media on 9th October 2015. I understand that approximately 40 expressions of interest have been received so far covering in excess of 80 locations nationwide offering a full spectrum of different accommodation types. These commercial expressions of interest are currently being evaluated alongside the information provided by OPW in respect of State properties. A key component of the evaluation process for both commercial and State properties will be a consideration of the suitability of the premises being offered, examining a range of factors.

I expect this process in respect of state owned properties of the type referred to in the question, to be completed in the coming weeks.