Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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541. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the inquiries his Department has carried out at a location (details supplied) in County Louth to ascertain its suitability as direct provision accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34600/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The State has a legal obligation to provide accommodation and other services for International Protection applicants who are not in a position to provide for themselves.

My Department does not select a particular area or location for accommodation centres. Rather, we tender publically on eTenders (the State’s public tendering site) and also advertise nationally for expressions of interest, as the Department has a duty to utilise public funds to provide the best value to the State.

I can confirm that my Department has not made any enquiries regarding the location referred to by the Deputy and is not pursuing it as an accommodation centre.