Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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648. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of private operators running direct provision centres; the number of centres each private operator runs; and the amount paid to each of these providers in each of the years 2009 to 2016 and to date in 2017. [38334/17]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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All accommodation centres for those persons seeking protection, whether State-owned or privately owned, are operated by commercial companies. There are currently 32 accommodation centres being operated under the direct provision system. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to details of current centre location and contractor is set out in the table.

Contractors for Accommodation Centres

Since the start of 2016, 3 accommodation centres have been closed - The Staircase in Dublin, Bridgewater House in County Tipperary and Westbourne Lodge in County Limerick.

Extensive and detailed information on the amount paid by my Department to each company contracted to provide direct provision accommodation every year up to and including 2014 can be found on the RIA website www.ria.gov.ie under the 'Contract Values' section of the website. This is in accordance with the Reception & Integration Agency's policy on disclosure of financial information which was agreed with the Office of the Information Commissioner. The Deputy will appreciate that it is not appropriate to provide values for current contracts entered into by my Department. Negotiations take place with a number of commercial entities on an ongoing basis with a clear focus on achieving the best value for money in respect of each contract. It is not in the interests of yielding best value for the taxpayer that details of current individual contracts are made available to other commercial bodies who are, or may be in the future, engaged in these negotiations.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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649. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons living in direct provision centres who have been granted permission to remain here. [38331/17]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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There are currently just over 350 persons with some form of permission to remain in the State residing in State provided accommodation. This figure represents just over 7% of the total number of persons residing in State provided accommodation.

The Reception & Integration Agency (RIA), which administers the system of accommodation for protection applicants, has always provided such persons with continued accommodation while they source their own accommodation. RIA is particularly mindful of the reality of the housing situation in the State and the pressures on the Community Welfare Service in respect of Rent Supplement or the City and County Councils in respect of Housing Assistance Payments and Housing Lists. That said, the provision of housing for persons coming out of the protection process has been incorporated in the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.

Following on from the McMahon report, my Department developed a guide to independent living for persons with status to provide practical assistance for them. The guide is available in all centres and has been published on the RIA website (www.ria.gov.ie) in a number of different languages. This was published in parallel with information sessions coordinated by the Citizens Information Bureau in accommodation centres which gave an opportunity for such persons to seek assistance and clarification on the services provided. The Reception & Integration Agency (RIA), its centre managers, the Community Welfare Service (by way of provision of Rent Allowance), Citizens Information and those City and County Councils operating the Housing Assistance Payments link with such persons in accessing the appropriate supports and services, including in respect of sourcing and securing private accommodation.

In addition, following a call for proposals under the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund, a number of charities and NGOs were awarded funding for projects with the specific aim of providing assistance to those transiting from state provided accommodation to permanent homes in the community. I am confident that the services provided with this funding will prove of great assistance and benefit to all concerned.