Vol. 536 No. 3
216 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number and location of asylum seeker reception centres which are hosting numbers in excess of their capacity; his views on whether such a situation is satisfactory; the measures he is taking to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14163/01]
The Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, into which the Directorate for Asylum Support Services was subsumed with effect from 2 April 2001, is responsible, inter alia, for meeting the accommodation needs of asylum seekers under the system of direct provision.
The RIA currently has a portfolio of 74 accommodation/reception centres in the State. The nature of the contracts entered into with accommodation providers is such that small additional numbers of asylum seekers may be accommodated in individual centres on an occasional basis to cater for particular unforeseen circumstances. On the latest date for which figures are available, 7 May, a total of three persons in two centres in Tipperary and Longford were accommodated in this fashion.
