Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021
625. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of all contracts with private companies providing direct provision accommodation, including the monetary value of each contract and the expected expiry date of same in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10091/21]
View answerMy Department currently has contracts in place for 48 accommodation centres, including management contracts for 7 State owned centres. The 48 centres comprise 45 accommodation centres for International Protection applicants including the National Reception Centre for International Protection applicants in Balseskin, Co. Dublin and 3 Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROC) for refugees brought to Ireland under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). It should be noted that Mosney Accommodation Centre provides accommodation for both International Protection applicants and, in a separate block, for IRPP clients.
The table attached provides contract information for each of these centres. However it is our policy not to disclose financial information on individual contracts for the most recent two calendar years. It is not appropriate to provide the current individual contract values entered into by my Department as negotiations take place with a number of commercial entities on an on-going basis with a clear focus on achieving the best value for money in respect of each contract. It is not in the interests of yielding best value for the taxpayer that the details of current individual contracts are made available to other commercial bodies who are, or may be in the future, engaged in these negotiations.
Contract information is published on an annual basis each January. Details of payments made to contractors are published on http://www.ria.gov.ie/en/RIA/Pages/ContractValues . Our policy document on the release of financial information on contract values is also available on this webpage.
