Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 January 2011
303 Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the number of asylum cases pending hearing and determination by the High Court and the average cost to the State of each asylum action taken in the High Court. [2792/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware the asylum process encompasses the activities of the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT), both of which make recommendations to the Minister for Justice and Law Reform in relation to the granting of refugee status. At 31 December 2010 approximately 950 such cases were pending before the High Court where either ORAC, RAT or the Minister were respondents.
A figure for the average cost of an asylum action is not readily available as the costs involved in such an action are generally spread across various areas including the Chief State Solicitors Office, the Refugee Legal Service, the Courts Service and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (including ORAC and RAT).
304 Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the total number of asylum seekers for whom accommodation is being provided by or on behalf of the State and the cost of such accommodation per week. [2793/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers and the implementation of the government policies of direct provision and even dispersal around the country. On 9 January 2011, 6,112 asylum seekers were being accommodated by RIA, a reduction of 383 (6%) on the same period last year. These persons are being accommodated in a total of 46 centres in the RIA portfolio. An up-to-date list of these centres is available on the RIA website — www.ria.gov.ie
At 31 December, 2010, 6,107 asylum seekers were being accommodated in RIA centres and the total spend by RIA in 2010 was €79,073,000 (provisional). The average cost of accommodation for asylum seekers per week is not as simply calculated as it might appear. For example, the numbers residing in RIA accommodation change on a day to day basis. Further, RIA expenditure includes not just accommodation. It also includes costs for pre-school services in some centres, direct spending on transport costs in dispersing asylum seekers around the country, utility and maintenance costs for state owned centres and miscellaneous costs.
Moreover, costs incurred by other Departments in relation to the provision of services to asylum seekers — in the areas of health, education, social welfare and so on — are not included in the cost indicated above. The complexity of the issue of accommodation costs for asylum seekers is dealt with in the report ‘Value for Money and Policy Review — Asylum Seeker Accommodation Policy', published in May 2010 which I would commend to the Deputy and which is available on my Department's website: www.justice.ie and on the above mentioned RIA website. The report provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the operation of the asylum seeker accommodation programme and should provide the Deputy with a wide understanding of the complexities involved in this programme.
