Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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255. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will liaise with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to ensure that an official bus stop is put in place at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3919/19]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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In January of 2018, the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department published a call for expressions of interest in the national press for premises to meet the increasing demand for accommodation for persons in the protection process (asylum seekers).

This call sought expressions of interest from parties who may be interested in providing accommodation and related services on an urgent and emergency basis. This was issued in response to the urgent and unforeseen demand for accommodation and related services from those persons arriving in the state seeking international protection.

The criteria against which the Department assessed the offers of accommodation were availability, standard of property, ability to provide communal social spaces for residents, ability to cater at mealtimes and proximity to various other services.

Following the call for expressions of interest in January 2018, the Temple Spa Hotel was offered to the Department and the premises was opened as an accommodation centre on the 30th April 2018 with a contracted capacity of 80 persons.

It should be noted that these premises were offered voluntarily to the Department by individual contractors across the country; the locations involved reflect that fact, rather than any specific choice made by the Department.

To ensure the residents have access to transport, RIA ensured this formed the basis of the contractual agreement. Currently, a bus service is provided from the centre to Moate and back on a daily basis and in addition a bus goes from the centre to Athlone and back twice a week.

I would like to note that the centre was opened on an emergency and time-limited basis.

In order to meet the accommodation needs of asylum seekers in the longer term, the Department has recently commenced a public procurement exercise under which public tenders for the provision of accommodation and ancillary services to persons in the protection process, by way of the independent living model, will be advertised. This process is scheduled to continue throughout 2019 and is due for completion in 2020. This will be delivered via a series of regional competitions to cover the entire State.