The accommodation crisis for asylum-seekers has eased and the Department of Justice has spare capacity in a number of centres around the State.
Almost 1,500 asylum-seekers have been accommodated in 15 counties since the beginning of the year when the Government began dispersing them outside Dublin. Cork has taken the biggest number, followed by Kerry, Galway, Waterford, Donegal and Offaly.
A Department spokesman said it had acquired a sufficient amount of accommodation to give it some "breathing space" and as a result, centres were not being filled to capacity. The Office of Public Works was continuing to seek new accommodation, however, in anticipation of demand rising in the months ahead. The asylum-seekers had been welcomed in the vast majority of the towns where they had been located, the spokesman said. "In most places the reception has been fine and they've been very well received. In cases where the local community has got involved and helped them integrate, it has worked particularly well."
Kenmare, where there had been some negative reaction before the 31 asylum-seekers had arrived, was one of the success stories. "It's an example of where people in the community engaged with the asylum-seekers and the result has been great, with some of them playing for the local soccer team and so on," he said.
Several centres where locals objected to the housing of asylum-seekers are not yet operational, but the spokesman said these would be opened in the near future. The centre at Myshall, Co Carlow, would be functioning "shortly", he said, but it had not yet been decided for how many asylum-seekers. In Rosslare, Co Wexford, residents were yesterday on the 81st day of a round-the-clock picket at the former Devereux Hotel, which the Department intends to use as a reception centre for asylum-seekers.
A total of 1,480 asylum-seekers are currently housed in full-board accommodation under the direct provision arrangements introduced this year. The list, compiled yesterday by the Department, includes the vast majority of asylum-seekers living outside Dublin. Those staying in private rented accommodation are not included.
The list is as follows: Clare - Ennis 63, Corofin 15; Cork - Cork city 193, Glengarriff 54, Ballylickey 42, Clonakilty 82, Youghal 2; Donegal - Falcarragh 11, Bunbeg 25, Donegal town 57; Galway - Galway city 44, Glenamaddy 21, Clifden 22, Salthill 59; Kerry - Tralee 128, Listowel 15, Kenmare 31, Killarney 94. Kilkenny - Kilkenny city 75; Limerick - Limerick city 54; Louth - Dundalk 25; Mayo - Cong 27; Monaghan - Castleblayney 36; Offaly - Birr 83; Sligo - Sligo town 22; Tipperary - Cashel 23, Borrisoleigh 28; Waterford - Waterford city 25, Tramore 82; Wicklow - Rathdrum 42.
