Clondalkin Towers is one of 35 asylum accommodation centres across 17 counties under contract to the Reception & Integration Agency (RIA), an operational unit of the Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, currently providing accommodation to a total of 4,852 persons seeking international protection.
There are currently 240 persons residing in Clondalkin Towers. A breakdown by age and gender of persons residing in the centre on 1 January of each year since the centre began operation on 10 October, 2006 is as follows:
|
Date
|
Occupancy
|
Males
|
Females
|
Children (0-17 years)
|
18 years plus
|
|
01/01/07*
|
227
|
Not Available
|
Not Available
|
Not Available
|
Not Available
|
|
01/01/08
|
260
|
79
|
181
|
83
|
177
|
|
01/01/09
|
242
|
82
|
160
|
94
|
148
|
|
01/01/10
|
196
|
77
|
119
|
80
|
116
|
|
01/01/11
|
193
|
72
|
121
|
73
|
120
|
|
01/01/12
|
225
|
86
|
139
|
87
|
138
|
(* Prior to this date, annual statistics were not collated in a way to show an age and gender breakdown)
Inspections take place in all centres by RIA staff and by an independent company QTS, to ensure that they are adhering to their contractual obligations. The number of inspections carried out on the Towers since it opened are as follows:
|
Year
|
Independent Inspection Company QTS
|
RIA Inspection
|
|
2007
|
1
|
0
|
|
2008
|
1
|
1
|
|
2009
|
1
|
2
|
|
2010
|
1
|
1
|
|
2011
|
1
|
3
|
|
2012 (to date)
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total
|
6
|
8
|
Asylum seekers are not allocated to particular centres based on status of their asylum claim or their length of time in the asylum process. Records are not maintained in such a way as to distinguish one centre from another in terms of residents who have been deported or granted leave to remain: such information would have no practical application or value. It is therefore not possible to provide the Deputy with any information on the number of deportees from the Towers since it opened on 10/10/2006.
In relation to cost, it is assumed that this question relates to the cost of the contract between RIA and the proprietor of the Towers. This is set out in the table below. It does not include costs in relation to the provision of medical, educational or other services to the residents of the Towers, as these costs would be borne by the relevant Government departments dealing with same.
Clondalkin Towers was first contracted to RIA on 10/10/2006. The current contract ends on 24/12/2012. A new contract with a reduced accommodation capacity will follow thereafter covering a further period to 26 June, 2014. As I have explained before in response to previous Dáil Questions, it is not in the interests of the taxpayer that details of current individual contracts are known to the public or to other parties who are, or may be in the future, engaged in negotiations with RIA. Therefore, details of current contracts are not provided. The policy is that the updating of the table of contracts will take place only at the end of January each year in respect of all financial information up to the end of December two years previously, e.g. at the end of January, 2012 the records are updated to end of December 2009. This policy has been upheld by the Office of the Information Commissioner.
Therefore, whilst the current contract in respect of the Towers ends on 24 December, 2012, details of payments under this contract in the table below cover only the period to 31 December, 2009.
|
Centre
|
Contract start
|
Contract end
|
Value * (see note)
|
Capacity
|
Contractor
|
|
The Towers
|
10/10/2006
|
31/03/2009
|
€7,993,500
|
50-250
|
Rowtes Ltd
|
|
The Towers
|
01/04/2009
|
24/12/2012
|
€2,656,500 *
|
250
|
Rowtes Ltd
|
*where contract date goes beyond 31/12/2009, the value shown represents those payments made up to 31/12/2009.
