Vol. 483 No. 6
289 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the total expenditure to date in 1997 on asylum seekers; if he will give a breakdown of expenditure by his Department in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21114/97]
The Eastern Health Board, by agreement with the Dublin local authorities and on their behalf, operates an accommodation referral service and provides emergency accommodation for homeless people including asylum seekers. The board's expenditure in this regard is fully funded by the Dublin local authorities. Under section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988, the Department recoups 90 per cent of the local authorities' expenditure on the provision of accommodation for homeless people including emergency accommodation for asylum seekers.
The Department's expenditure on recoupment claims to date in 1997 is £3.609 million. A significant element of the recoupment is accounted for by asylum seekers in Dublin and elsewhere. A detailed breakdown of the extent to which the recoupments relates to expenditure on asylum seekers accommodated in the Dublin area will not be available until early 1998 when the annual figures from the EHB become available. Outside the Dublin area, local authorities do not distinguish between homeless people and asylum seekers in their recoupment claims.
