Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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222. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new direct provision centres planned for 2019 and 2020; the way in which the proposed new centres are selected and or the criteria for same; the way in which the centres will be staffed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38586/19]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, while a claim for International Protection is being examined, the State is legally obliged to offer accommodation and related services to anyone without means - which includes all meals, medical care and utilities. A weekly personal allowance is paid to each person in a centre and exceptional needs are covered by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

My Department requires additional accommodation centres as the number of people arriving to seek our protection continues to rise (figures are up 36% in the first half of this year). There are also now more than 1,300 people placed in emergency accommodation in hotels and guesthouses. This is a highly unsatisfactory situation and can only be regarded as a short-term solution. The procurement of new accommodation centres has been approached in two ways.

Firstly, the Department has advertised in the national media for expressions of interest from property owners for a short-term contract (usually one year) to meet demand while the regional tender process is rolled out nationally. Centres in Kenmare, Lisdoonvarna, Mallow, Moate and Wicklow were opened in 2018 through this process. Further centres may also be opened through this process.

Secondly, my Department is running procurement competitions on a regional basis throughout the country to procure accommodation through the government’s procurement portal, Etenders. These contracts will be longer term than the expressions of interest with a minimum contract duration of 2 years on offer and a maximum contract duration of 4 years.

Accommodation providers can offer premises both through the expressions of interest process or the tender process.

The following regional competitions have progressed through the evaluation stage and are in the mobilisation phase; the South East, Midlands and the MidWest Regions. Evaluation is underway for the South West and Western Regions. The closing date for bids for the Mid East Region was the 16 September and evaluation will commence shortly. Advertisements for bids for the Dublin Region was published on 18 September and advertisements for the Borders Region are scheduled to be published by the end of this month.

The Deputy will be aware, that until the procurement process, which is commercially sensitive, is complete, it is not possible to confirm any specific locations or premises.

Tenders received are evaluated on the most economically advantageous tender method which assesses bids on the quality of service as well as price. The level, expertise and qualifications of staff are assessed as part of this process.

I recently published agreed National Standards for accommodation centres. The Standards will apply to all service providers contracted by the Department to operate and manage accommodation and reception centres. They provide a framework for the continued development of supports and services for residents by improving the quality of care and ensuring consistency across the centres. A copy of the Standards can be found on my Department's website www.justice.ie.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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223. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has consulted with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government regarding accommodation needs of persons that cannot be facilitated in direct provision centres due to lack of accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38587/19]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, my Department is experiencing significant upward pressure on its accommodation portfolio due to an increase in the number of people claiming international protection and an associated demand for accommodation and related services. In the first half of this year alone, we have seen a 36% increase in the number of applications received.

Our 38 existing accommodation centres are currently at full capacity. To ensure that we can continue to provide accommodation for all applicants who require it, since September 2018, my Department has arranged for the provision of emergency accommodation in hotels and guest houses. Every effort is being made to re-accommodate residents in these emergency locations to a dedicated accommodation centre as quickly as possible. My Department is actively working on securing additional capacity, both in existing centres and through sourcing new centres via a series of regional procurement competitions and an expression of interest process that was advertised in the national media.

Currently, we are accommodating 6,056 people across our 38 accommodation centres and a further 1,363 people in 34 emergency accommodation locations.

Officials of my Department regularly engage with other Government Departments and Public Sector organisations to ensure that everyone in the protection process can access the necessary public services and supports. Regular meetings take place with representatives from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Department Education and Skills, and with representatives from the Health Services Executive and the Education and Welfare Service.

My Department is represented on the Homeless Interagency Group and the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum. My officials also engage on a regular basis with representatives of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive.

Residents who have been granted an international protection status or a permission to remain have the same access to housing supports and services as Irish and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. There are currently approximately 900 residents with status or permission to remain. My Department is supporting these residents to move out of our accommodation centres and into secure permanent accommodation. We are providing funding support to DePaul Ireland and the Peter McVerry Trust to work with these residents to secure homes. A number of NGOs have also been awarded monies under the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). These include the PATHS project and South Dublin County Partnership. Additionally, my Department is liaising with officials in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and with the City and County Managers Association (CCMA) collectively to support residents with status or permission to remain to access housing options.