Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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151. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons in direct provision by county in tabular form; the length of time they have been in direct provision; the supports being made available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42681/19]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the State has a legal obligation to offer accommodation, food and a range of other services (including utilities and healthcare etc.) to any person who claims a right to international protection in Ireland while their claim is being examined.

A whole-of-Government approach to direct provision means that several Government Departments and Agencies work closely together to ensure the necessary supports and services are provided to persons in direct provision. My Department offers accommodation and related services; the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection pays a weekly personal allowance to each resident and covers any exceptional needs; the Department of Education and Skills provide school places for children resident in the centres and provides that children also have access to the free pre-school scheme, the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme; and the HSE provides mainstreamed health services to residents.

I am advised by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) of my Department that as of 13 October 2019, there are 6,066 people residing in 38 accommodation centres in the State, the locations of which are set out in the following table.

As these centres are currently operating at full capacity, there are also a further 1,478 people being accommodated in emergency accommodation in hotels and guest houses. My Department does not disclose the location of emergency accommodation centres in order to protect the identity of international protection applicants.  

IPAS Accommodation (as of 13 October 2019)

Length of Stay of IPAS Applicants in Direct Provision (as of 11 October 2019)

In relation to the length of time applicants spend in the international protection process, while some individuals may live for many years in direct provision centres, these are generally applicants who have received previous negative decisions and are exercising their right to appeal through the courts.

My Department has introduced a number of measures aimed at reducing the time taken to determine applications. The International Protection Act, 2015, introduced the single procedure process for the determination of protection applications. Under the single procedure all elements of a person's protection claim (refugee status, subsidiary protection status and permission to remain) are considered together rather than sequentially. The aim of the single procedure is to help reduce waiting times significantly.

An applicant who applies for international protection today can expect to receive a first instance recommendation/decision within approximately 15 months, provided that no complications arise. Prioritised cases are being processed in just under 9 months. Prioritised applications include those from countries such as Syria and Eritrea and from especially vulnerable groups of applicants, such as unaccompanied minors.  My Department is aiming to reduce processing times for all first instance decisions to 9 months by the end of this year.