Ceist:
156 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the guidelines which are in place regarding the location of emergency accommodation for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29462/01]
Written Answers. - Asylum Seekers.
The Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, is responsible, inter alia, for meeting the accommodation needs of asylum seekers under the system of dispersal and direct provision which was introduced in April 2000. Under this system, the agency provides full board accommodation to asylum seekers in a number of settings including hostels, guesthouses, former hotels and system built accommodation centres while their claims for refugee status are being determined. In this regard, it should be noted that housing stock relative to population in Ireland is the lowest in the EU – 334 per 1,000 at the end of 1999 compared with an EU average of 440 – and the private rental sector in this country is significantly smaller than in most European countries.
Notwithstanding the difficulties posed by this shortage of accommodation, the RIA has sourced 76 accommodation centres and nine reception centres across 24 counties. Each property used for providing accommodation and ancillary services to asylum seekers is inspected by officials from the agency prior to its use for the purpose of ascertaining its suitability having regard to a number of criteria, including: geographical location, taking into consideration proximity to centres of population, transport infrastructure and access to shops; health, education and welfare requirements of asylum seekers and the capacity of existing health, education and welfare services in the area to meet their requirements; the numbers of asylum seekers already accommodated in the area, by the agency, the size of the local indigenous population and proximity of schools, medical and other statutory and voluntary services; and the economic status of proposed centre locations.