Vol. 522 No. 4
114 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Finance the number of properties purchased by the State in the Dublin area for the purpose of housing refugees; the location of these properties; the cost to the State in each case; the number of properties in the Dublin area with ten rooms or more which have been leased by the State for the purpose of housing refugees; the location of these properties; the annual rental in each case; and the length of the lease in each case. [18899/00]
My office sourced accommodation on behalf of the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Justice, Equality and Law Reform for the provision of accommodation for Kosovan refugees in 1999. No such accommodation was sourced in the Dublin area.
My office is engaged in a nationwide programme of property acquisition on behalf of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform as part of the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.
To date, the Office of Public Works has purchased one property, the Parnell West Hotel, Dublin 1, in the Dublin area to provide accommodation for asylum seekers. This property was purchased at a price of £2.425 million and has a capacity to accommodate approximately 80 persons.
No property has been leased by Office of Public Works in the Dublin area to meet accommodation requirements. However, it should be noted that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform or other State agencies enter into separate arrangements to meet accommodation requirements aside from accommodation sourced by the Office of Public Works.
