Written answers

Thursday, 16 February 2017

Department of Justice and Equality

Refugee Data

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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49. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of suicides of persons in direct provision and in the asylum application process that have taken place in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7642/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that not all persons in the protection process accept the offer of State provided accommodation which is made when they apply for international protection. In circumstances where an applicant chooses not to accept such accommodation, my Department has no knowledge of the health of such persons. From January 2012 to December 2016, there were 8,870 applications for international protection and of these, 7,116 accepted the offer of accommodation. It is of course open to any person in the protection process to leave that accommodation at any time and many chose to do so.

During the period specified by the Deputy, it is understood that one resident died in tragic circumstances in an accommodation centre in 2016. I must point out that the Department of Justice and Equality does not and indeed cannot hold or have access to death certificates. While the Department collates some statistics on deaths of persons in the protection process, this is usually by way of a general knowledge of the cause of death, such as by way of information arising from the specified medical needs of the resident concerned.

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