Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 February 2018
145. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 96 of 7 December 2017, if he has received a full report into complaints his Department received on conditions at a location (details supplied); if so, if all appropriate actions to remedy the identified defects have been addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6229/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department was made aware of complaints in relation to the accommodation centre in question. These complaints were forwarded onto the contractor and the response has been received.
It is worth noting that not all of the accommodation centre in question is used for accommodation and the unused section is blocked off to residents. The contractor has confirmed that 12 of the 20 photographs that accompanied the complaint are from this unused part of the building and access to that part is strictly limited to authorised personnel. Another picture is of a skip that has since been removed. I am informed that the remaining photographs either required no action or if a defect was identified then all appropriate action to remedy the identified defect has been carried out.
As stated in my earlier reply, all accommodation centres under contract to the Department are inspected by staff from the Reception and Integration Agency and by an independent inspector, QTS Health and Safety Limited.
The accommodation centre in question has been inspected three times in 2017 - once by QTS Health and Safety Limited on 12 April and twice by two different staff members from the Reception and Integration Agency - on 29 June and as recently as 29 November.
All accommodation centres are also subject to inspection by other State inspectors such as the environmental health service, the fire service and the Data Protection Commissioner.
Each centre under contract to the Department is required to have a current and active fire certificate renewed on a yearly basis. In the case of the accommodation centre in question, the latest fire certificate covers the period to 14 September 2018.
Residents of the centre (or indeed any accommodation centre) have the possibility to register a complaint in relation to any aspect of the accommodation centre with the Manager or with an inspector as the case may be. The only complaint raised by a resident during the inspections mentioned above was on 29 June 2017 and that was in relation to a transfer.
In addition to the foregoing it is of course always open to any resident in the centre in question to make a complaint to the Ombudsman about any matter in relation to their accommodation at that centre.
