Direct provision is the means by which the State discharges its obligations under international law and the Constitution to provide for the basic requirements of asylum seekers. For the most part, it represents a cashless system with the State assuming responsibility for providing suitable accommodation on a full board basis.
Asylum seekers in direct provision are generally paid reduced allowances under the supplementary welfare allowances scheme, which is administered by the health boards on behalf of the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs. Every applicant for supplementary welfare allowance is subject to a means test, which includes provision for the assessment of any benefit and privilege, including board and lodgings, enjoyed by the applicant. The rates of payment for asylum seekers in direct provision – £15 per adult and £7.50 per child – are currently under review by a working group which was established by the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs to examine certain issues related to the assessment of need for SWA purposes.