Vol. 564 No. 1
274 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the way in which refugees and asylum seekers are accommodated, both in the past and now; the entitlement of same to accommodation following the refusal of their applications for asylum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8887/03]
The Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, is responsible inter alia for meeting the accommodation needs of asylum seekers under the system of dispersal and direct provision which was introduced in April 2000. Prior to the introduction of direct provision the Eastern Health Board, now the Eastern Regional Health Authority, was responsible for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.
Under the direct provision system, the RIA provides full board accommodation to asylum seekers in a number of settings, including hostels, guesthouses, a former holiday camp, mobile home sites, former hotels and system built accommodation, while their claims for refugee status are being determined. On their arrival at the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner at Mount Street, Dublin 2, all applicants for asylum are offered accommodation under the system of direct provision. New applicants are provided with accommodation initially at one of the seven reception centres currently used by the RIA in the Dublin area. When their initial needs have been determined in the reception centre – generally within two weeks of making their application – they are assigned to a regional accommodation centre.
The RIA currently uses 50 accommodation centres in 23 counties for this purpose. When making placements to these centres, the RIA has regard to a number of factors which include the general availability of accommodation, marital status, family size, age of children, medical and other special needs, cultural background and so forth.
