ALMOST HALF of all applicants for refugee status currently living in "direct provision" housing have been in the asylum process for more than two years, new figures reveal.
Statistics obtained by The Irish Timesalso show that the number of people living in the State's "direct provision" accommodation is some 30 per cent higher than at the same point in 2006, despite an annual decline in asylum claims.
According to the Department of Justice, 45 per cent of asylum applicants who were living in State accommodation at the end of February had been there for at least 24 months. A quarter of the total had been in the system for more than three years.
Under "direct provision", asylum seekers are given accommodation, meals and a weekly allowance of €19.10 but are precluded from paid work. As of April 20th, there were 6,844 asylum seekers living in 62 accommodation centres around the country.
This is a significant increase on the same point last year, when 5,838 people were living in direct provision housing, and represents a 29 per cent increase on 2006, when there were 4,849 residents at these centres.
Officials from the Department of Justice say the number of residents remains high because applicants can remain in State accommodation while pursuing judicial reviews or other avenues to remain in the country, after their initial claims for refugee status have been dealt with. A spokeswoman said that, in the past three years (2005-07), over 2,700 judicial reviews were instigated in the asylum and immigration areas. Some 1,500 of these remained active at the end of last year.
Additional statistics compiled by the department show that in the past year, only 338 asylum seekers, or some 10 per cent of the total, were granted refugee status at first instance. Another 225 were granted refugee status at appeal stage. On the issue of removal from the State, the figures indicate that 282 deportation orders were issued to unsuccessful asylum seekers in the past 12 months. Some 98 deportation orders were effected in the same period, while 126 people opted to return home voluntarily.
According to figures provided by Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan in response to a recent parliamentary question, one private company accommodates more than 20 per cent of the Republic's asylum seekers. The firm, Westmeath-based Bridgestock Ltd, houses 1,484 asylum seekers in eight centres in Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath.
The largest number of asylum seekers in "direct provision" are in Dublin, where there is capacity for 1,594, while Cork has capacity for 957. Other counties with significant numbers of asylum seekers include Meath (800), Galway (720), Mayo (498) and Waterford (416).
Last December, Minister for Integration Conor Lenihan said a "very active and voracious group of barristers" was to blame for delays in the asylum process.
Fine Gael's spokesman on immigration and integration, Denis Naughten, said the asylum application process was a "complete shambles" characterised by unacceptable delays. He noted that, as of last autumn, one fifth of all Civil Service posts dealing with asylum were vacant.
