Asylum Support Services.

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Questions (888, 889, 890)

Denis Naughten

Question:

976 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will provide details in tabular form of the number of asylum seekers residing in each of the 61 accommodation centres on 31 July 2008, and on the same date in each of the past five years. [30855/08]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern)

The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers in accordance with the Government policy of direct provision and dispersal. In this regard, the RIA is currently providing accommodation to over 6,800 asylum seekers in 62 centres located across 22 counties.

The following table shows the number of residents residing in each centre at 31 July in each of the five years from 2004 to 2008 inclusive.

Numbers residing in DP Accommodation on 31/07/2004 to 31/07/2008

			31/07/2004	31/07/2005	31/07/2006	31/07/2007	31/07/2008
1	Carlow	Milverton House	27	27	closed	closed	closed
2	Clare	Corofin Holiday Hostel	13	13	closed	closed	closed
3		Knockalisheen A/S Centre	228	226	246	262	237
4		Clare Lodge	63	62	56	54	55
5		Scariff Court Hotel	67	63	closed	closed	closed
6	Cork	An Poc Fada	41	39	closed	35	38
7		Ashbourne Hse Hotel	102	98	92	104	95
8		Clonakilty Lodge	76	79	closed	closed	99
9		Kinsale Rd., Acc. Centre	281	276	269	299	307
10		Glenvera Hotel	95	98	90	94	121
11		Millstreet Accommodation Centre	101	144	126	158	223
12		North Quay Place	252	235	closed	closed	closed
13		Slip House (Bantry View)	32	37	closed	closed	closed
14	Donegal	Cliffview	57	64	48	55	58
15		Moville Holiday Hostel	18	closed	closed	closed	closed
16	Dublin	Camden House	13	10	13	12	14
17		Camden Hall	38	41	37	28	closed
18		70 Lower Camden Street	not open	11	14	9	1
19		14 Gardiner Place	26	24	13	14	13
20		Horse and Carriage	24	24	19	17	19
21		Kilmarnock House	88	80	closed	closed	closed
22		Morehampton House	not open	41	closed	closed	closed
23		Newlight House	27	26	19	19	13
24		10 North Frederick Street	22	16	21	21	20
25		Viking Lodge	54	56	60	64	58
26		The Towers	not open	not open	not open	232	216
27		Georgian Court	Reception	Reception	Reception	58	73
28		Hatch Hall	Reception	Reception	Reception	79	107
29		Balseskin (Reception Centre)	178	292	0	260	216
30		Kilmacud (Reception Centre)	56	51	75	67	57
31	Galway	Cloonabinnia Hotel	not open	71	closed	closed	closed
32		Dun Gibbons Inn	85	107	29	70	90
33		Eglinton Hotel	223	198	211	214	232
34		Great Western House	166	160	153	149	166
35		Lisbrook House	not open	not open	not open	not open	269
36		Oaklands Hotel	4	closed	closed	closed	closed
37	Kerry	Atlantic Lodge	46	50	closed	closed	closed
38		Atlas House	88	71	67	86	94
39		Atlas House	101	86	70	89	99
40		Ballymullen Barracks	109	177	closed	closed	closed
41		Johnston Marina Hotel	109	85	70	100	91
42		Linden House	not open	54	46	38	47
43		Park Lodge	49	46	47	47	50
44		The Village House	13	12	closed	closed	closed
45		Westward Court	32	96	77	67	75
46	Kildare	Eyrepowell Hotel	98	70	52	97	85
47		Hillview House	30	32	closed	closed	closed
48		Magee Accommodation Centre	193	125	closed	closed	closed
49	Kilkenny	Ormonde Acc. Centre	75	79	70	closed	closed
50	Laois	Hibernian Hotel	47	43	closed	47	46
51		Monague Hotel	not open	not open	not open	not open	189
52	Leitrim	Sliabh An Iarainn	24	36	38	35	40
53	Limerick	Clyde House	97	97	97	103	101
54		Mount Trenchard	8	56	closed	51	53
55		Shannonside Hostel	45	90	closed	closed	closed
56		Westbourne Holiday Hostel	95	96	87	79	78
57		Sarsfield Bridge	not open	not open	not open	not open	104
58	Longford	Richmond Court	57	62	57	86	93
59	Louth	Kincora House	34	33	closed	closed	closed
60	Mayo	Railway Hotel	39	73	68	87	83
61		The Old Convent	94	101	131	290	288
62		The Imperial Hotel	not open	16	closed	closed	closed
63		The Quiet Man Hostel	17	18	closed	closed	closed
64	Meath	Mosney Accommodation Centre	779	614	641	774	732
65	Monaghan	St. Patricks	113	115	83	127	166
66	Offaly	The Maltings Hostel	53	47	closed	closed	closed
67	Sligo	Red Cottage	16	closed	closed	closed	closed
68		Globe House	not open	219	194	222	213
69	Tipp. North	Clodagh Bar	29	24	closed	closed	closed
70	Tipp. South	Bridgewater House	87	93	79	111	102
71		Vee Valley Hotel	19	closed	closed	closed	closed
72	Waterford	Atlantic/Coltro	71	74	closed	73	85
73		Ursuline Complex	158	172	146	148	140
74		Ocean View	78	80	closed	68	79
75		Viking House	95	99	99	96	93
76	Westmeath	Athlone Accommodation Centre	322	227	255	225	339
77	Wexford	Old Rectory House	47	50	52	45	52
78	Wicklow	Beechlawn B&B	19	17	closed	26	23
79		The Warrens	15	22	17	21	23

Numbers residing in Self Catering Accommodation on 31/07/2004 to 31/07/2008

			31/07/2004	31/07/2005	31/07/2006	31/07/2007	31/07/2008
1	Cork	Davis Lane Apartments	23	43	31	41	34
2	Dublin	Ard Erdrad Apartments	97	71	closed	closed	closed
3		Glenview House	56	39	34	50	39
4		Harbour View	not open	14	13	13	closed
5		James Street Apartments	12	17	17	19	14
6		Montpellier Hill Apartments	62	41	closed	closed	closed
7		Portobello Harbour	not open	13	10	11	closed
8		Tathony House	67	54	68	68	40
9		Watergate House	63	58	35	46	45
10	Louth	Carroll Village	not open	183	209	223	175
11	Offaly	Church Street Apartments	not open	70	closed	closed	closed
12	Roscommon	Station Road Apartments	18	38	56	66	38

It needs to be understood that the above figures represent a ‘snapshot' of each centre at a given date each year. While capacity figures remain constant, occupancy figures can vary throughout the year because of the interaction of residents leaving (either through normal means or because of special schemes such as the Irish Born Child 2005 Scheme), residents arriving, temporary closures (such as Balseskin in July, 2006) medical restrictions on arrivals arising from outbreaks of chickenpox, and so on.

Denis Naughten

Question:

977 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will provide details in tabular form of the number of independent and internal inspections in respect of each of the 61 accommodation centres which have been carried out annually in each of the past five years; the locations at which follow up inspections were required; the main reasons for downfalls in standards at accommodation centres; the centres that have received the Excellence Ireland Quality Association mark and the centres which have been closed, temporarily or otherwise, at any point for breaches in standards. [30856/08]

View answer

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern)

All accommodation providers are required under contract to ensure that accommodation centres comply and operate in accordance with all statutory requirements of local authorities and state agencies in relation to bedroom capacity, food, food-hygiene, water supply, fire safety and general safety.

The Agency engages independent external assessors to conduct comprehensive inspections of all centres on at least an annual basis. These inspections are always unannounced and the inspectors look at all aspects of the accommodation centres in relation to the proprietors' obligations under the contract. These inspections cover such areas as reception, staff cover, menus, facilities being provided, maintenance of the property and fire and safety issues. In addition, RIA has an internal Inspections Unit which aims to conduct inspections of each of the properties used to accommodate asylum seekers at least on a twice yearly basis. Further unannounced visits are made to accommodation centres throughout the State on a regular basis by senior management to ensure that standards are being maintained. Staff from RIA hold information clinics on a regular basis in accommodation centres: these afford asylum seekers an opportunity to comment on accommodation and operating standards and to discuss other general issues.

Any report of a diminution in standards which comes to the attention of the RIA is immediately followed up and proprietors are instructed to make any changes and improvements deemed necessary. Follow-up inspections are also arranged as appropriate. In cases where standards stipulated in the contract have not been met and the proprietor has not made sufficient efforts to remedy the situation, there is provision for the contract to be terminated.

The primary reasons for follow-up inspections usually occur in relation to health and safety issues. This can involve asylum seeker residents failing to observe restrictions on smoking, sometimes involving the deliberate covering of internal smoke alarms. Another issue may involve overloaded electrical sockets. Other lapses may include some staff not recording all Fire Safety checks in the register or maintenance and cleaning issues in bedrooms and bathrooms. In all such cases, the RIA will not deem the issue as being resolved until it or the independent inspectors are entirely satisfied that remedial procedures are in place. RIA has found that all inspection issues to date have been remedied using this procedure. As a consequence, no contracts have been terminated as a result of such inspections issues. List of internal and external (independent) inspections carried out in the last five years:

		2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
County	Centre	Int	Ext	Int	Ext	Int	Ext	Int	Ext	Int	Ext
Carlow	Milverton House*		1		1
Clare	Corofin Holiday Hostel*	1	1	1
	Knockalisheen Centre	1		1			2	2	0	0	1
	Scariff Court*	1	2	1
	The Clare Hostel#		1		1	1	1	0	4		1
Cork	An Poc Fada**	1	1	1				1	0	0	1
	Davis Lane			1	1	1	1	2	0	1	1
	Ashbourne		1		1	1	1	1	2	1	1
	Clonakilty Lodge**	2		1	1					1	1
	Glenvera Hotel		1	1		1	1	1	1	0	1
	Millstreet	1		1	1	2	1	1	0	1	1
	North Quay Place*	1	1		1
	Slip House*	1		1	1
	Kinsale Road		1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1
Donegal	Cliffview	1	2		1	1	1	1	1	1	1
	Moville Holiday Hostel*	1
Dublin	Parnell West*	1
	Hatch Hall			1		1	0	0	1	0	1
	Camden House	1			1	1	0	1	2	1	0
	Newlight House#	1	1	2		1	1	1	1	0	1
	Morehamption Lodge*		1	1	1
	North Fredrick St.		1	1	1	1	1			0	1
	Viking Lodge#		1	3	2	1	2	0	2	1	1
	Glenview#	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	0	1
	James Street Apts.†		1		1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	Montpelier*	1		1	1
	Watergate#	2	1			2	1	0	2	1	1
	Kilmacud House	1	1		1		1	0	1	0	1
	Balseskin	2		1	1			0	1	1	1
	Gardiner Place		2	1		0	2	1	1	2	1
	Georgian Court			1		2	1	1	1	0	1
	Tathony House†	2		1	1	1	1	1	1
	Kilmarnock House*	1	3		1
	Horse and Carriage				1	0	1			1	1
	Camden Hall†	1			1	0	2	0	1
	Ard Erdrad*	1			2
	70 Lr. Camden Street	1				0	1	1	2	1	0
	Harbour View†						2	1	1
	Portobello†					0	2	1	1
	Towers							0	1	0	1
Galway	Dun Gibbons**	1		1		0	1	1	0	1	1
	Eglington Hotel	2		1	1	1	2	1	0	1	1
	Great Western Hotel	1		1	2	1	1	2	0	0	1
	Cloonabinnia*			1	1
	Lisbrook House									0	1
Kerry	Atlantic Lodge*	2		1	1
	Atlas House (K)	2	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1
	Linden House				1	2	1	0	1
	Ballymullen Barracks*		1	1	1
	Johnston Marina Hotel	1	1	1		1	1	0	1	1	1
	Park Lodge		1	2	0	1	1	0	1	1	0
	Atlas House (T)	1	1	2		2	1	0	1	0	1
	The Village House*	1		1
	Park Place*		1
	Westward Court	2		1		2	1	0	1	0	1
Kildare	Magee Barracks*	2		1
	Eyre Powell	2	2	0	2	1	0	0	3
	Hillview House*	0	0		1
Kilkenny	Ormonde Acc. Centre*		2	1	1	1	2
Laois	Hibernian	2	1		1			1	0	1	1
	Montague									1	1
Leitrim	Sliabh an Iarainn	1	1		1	1	0	1	0	1	2
Limerick	Clyde House	1	1	1		0	1	2	1	0	1
	Shannonside*	1	2	0	2
	Mount Trenchard**				1			0	1	1	1
	Sarsfield Bridge Hotel									0	1
	Westbourne	1	1	1	1	1	0	2	0	1	2
Longford	Richmond Court	1	2	1		0	2	1	1	1	0
Louth	Kincora House*	1	1	1
	St. Laurences*		1
	Carroll Village			1		1	1	1	1	0	1
Mayo	The Old Convent	1	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	1	1
	Railway Hotel	1	1	2	1	2	0	0	1	1	2
	The Quiet Man*	1	1
	Imperial Hotel*			1				1	1
Meath	Mosney	1	1			0	1	1	1	1	0
Monaghan	St. Patricks		1	1	1	0	1	1	1
Offaly	The Maltings*		1	1
	Church Street*	1			1
Roscommon	Station Road apts	1		1		1	1	0	1	1	2
Sligo	The Red Cottage*	1
	Globe House	1		1		1	1	1	1	1	1
Tipp. (North)	Clodagh Bar*	1
Tipp. (South)	Bridgewater	1	1		1	1	0	2	1	0	1
	Vee Valley*	1
Waterford	Atlantic House/ Coltro**		1	2				0	1	1	0
	Ocean View**		1	1				0	1	1	0
	Ursuline Complex	1	1		2	1	0	1	1	0	1
	Viking House		1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	1
Westmeath	Athlone Acc. Centre		1			1	1	0	1	2	1
Wexford	The Old Rectory	1	1	1		0	1	2	1	0	1
Wicklow	Beechlawn**	2			1			0	1	1	0
	The Warrens	2			1	0	2	1	1

Table legend:

* closed during downsizing of accommodation following the Department's 2005 IBC Scheme.

** and re-opened in 2007.

† Contract period ended.

# Locations where follow up inspections were required.

The centres that have received the Excellence Ireland Quality Association mark (or equivalent) are listed below. It should be noted that, notwithstanding the stringency of its contractual requirements, RIA does not oblige centre operators to obtain this EIQA award or its equivalent, although it welcomes all such awards.

Globe House, Sligo

Lisbrook House, Galway

Old Convent, Ballyhaunis

Railway Hotel, Kiltimagh

Sliabh an Iarainn, Leitrim

Station Road, Roscommon

Bruach Na hAbhainn, Mayo

Athlone Accommodation Centre, Westmeath

Bridgewater House, Carrick on Suir, Tipperary

Millstreet Accommodation Centre, Cork

Knockalisheen, Co. Clare

Park Lodge, Co. Kerry

Kinsale Road, Cork

Atlas House, Tralee

Johnson Marina, Tralee

Denis Naughten

Question:

978 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the statutory requirements of local authorities and State agencies in relation to the standard of accommodation provided in direct provision. [30858/08]

View answer

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern)

The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers while their application for asylum in the State is being processed.

All contracts with service providers for the provision of accommodation include the following clause:

"It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that the premises complies and operates in accordance with all relevant statutory requirements of Local Authorities and other Agencies in relation to planning, building, bye-laws, bedroom capacity, food, food hygiene, water supply, sewage disposal, fire precautions, minimum pay, legally binding industrial or sectoral agreements and health and general safety, including:

Building Control Acts 1990 and 2007;

Building Regulations 1997 to 2007;

Building Control Regulations 1997 to 2004;

Employment Permit Acts, 2003 and 2006;

European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2000;

European Communities (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2000 and 2005;

European Communities (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 1998;

Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003;

Food Hygiene Regulations, 2000;

Housing Acts, 1966 to 2004;

Industrial Relations Acts 1946 to 2004;

National Minimum Wage Act 2000;

Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2005;

Private Security Services Act, 2004;

Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act, 2005;

Tourist Traffic Acts, 1939 to 2003;

Any statutory modification or re-enactment of same; and,

Any other relevant Act or Regulations as may be notified by the Minister to the Contractor."

In addition to the legal and regulatory requirements outlined in the contract clause, the RIA oversees its own robust system of inspections, both internal and independent, to ensure that the accommodation provided is of a suitable standard and that the terms and conditions of the contract are met at all times.