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THE DEPARTMENT OF Justice & Equality last month made an “urgent request” to Direct Provision centre owners to help them challenge what it called “clearly false” allegations made online about conditions in Ireland’s asylum accommodation system.
In a letter sent to centre managers on 15 May, the International Protection Application Service (IPAS) asked for assistance to challenge allegations made online “that are clearly false” regarding Direct Provision centre conditions by requesting photos of food served at centres and descriptions of measures implemented during Ramadan.
IPAS is responsible for administering the Direct Provision system of accommodation in Ireland, as well as sourcing new centres.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Justice & Equality told centre managers it had been dealing with a “significant increase” in queries regarding individual accommodation centres and the services provided.
“The queries often stem from posts on social media, containing anonymous testimonies from persons claiming to be centre residents and photos,” IPAS wrote to centre managers.
According to IPAS, these photos show poor standard of food hygiene and food preparation, a lack of Halal meats for residents observing Ramadan, a general lack of meal choices, poor quality cleaning in bedrooms and common areas and overcrowded rooms.
“We need your assistance to challenge these allegations where they are clearly false, both at source on social media and when raised in media queries,” IPAS said.
IPAS requested that centre managers forward photographs of food served at breakfast, lunch and dinner on any one day, as well as a photo or description of menus available to asylum seekers living in Direct Provision.
In addition, IPAS asked centres to forward photos of social distancing measures which have been implemented, on-site isolation rooms and photos of residents’ rooms as well any “enhanced” cleaning measures implemented during Covid-19. The Department has said it could not carry out inspections at centres at the time.
The Department said it understood the request amounted to a significant amount of additional information and material to provide, but added, “It will assist us in responding to issues raised with the Department quickly and will challenge some of the misinformation being spread on social media sites about [Direct Provision] centres.”
‘Appalling’
In recent weeks, the Department and IPAS have come under fire after an outbreak of Covid-19 at the Skellig Star Hotel in Caherciveen, Co Kerry as well the conditions highlighted within the centre.
Last week, the Department said “no major issues” arose from a surprise inspection of the Central Hotel in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare after local residents called for the centre’s closure following allegations of rodent issues, a lack of space and issues with shared accommodation at the centre.
For several years, NGOs and human rights organisations have called for greater scrutiny of the management and conditions at Direct Provision centres through an independent inspectorate as well as more regular surprise inspections.
The Department has not published any Direct Provision centre inspections since January 2019.
Conditions at certain Direct Provision centres have been a source of controversy since the system was set up in 1999.
Last year, it was announced that Mount Trenchard Direct Provision centre in Co Limerick, widely reported as the worst centre in Ireland, would close after conditions there were described by one resident as being like “guantanamo bay”.
Across the country, private contractors have been paid over €1 billion since 2000 to operate centres on behalf of the State. Several have moved to off-shore accounts in recent years.
Fiona Finn, CEO of Nasc, has described the email sent by IPAS to centre managers as “appalling”.
“It goes right to the heart of a culture of disbelief when it comes to residents’ complaints about their living conditions,” said Finn.
It appears that instead of taking residents’ claims seriously and investigating them properly, the IPAS is more concerned about protecting their reputation.
“IPAS are continually telling centre residents to come to them and tell them when there is a problem and IPAS will investigate. This will do nothing to inspire confidence that any real investigations take place,” she added.
“Instead, it reinforces the belief that the IPAS is incapable of being an impartial arbiter when it comes to conditions in direct provision centres,” said Finn.
“The fact that photogenic meals were served to centre residents one day does nothing to prove that this is the norm for that centre. Direct provision must end but until it does, we need an independent inspector to protect centre residents.”
In response to the letter, a spokesperson for the Department said the request to owners “is in no way a replacement for a proper inspection regime”.
“Accommodation centre inspections look at a wide range of issues such as fire safety, food hygiene, food quality, information provision, general security and emergency details, child protection issues, provision of TV and Wi-Fi services, staff rosters and the upkeep of all communal areas and bedrooms,” they added.
“Any issues identified are communicated in writing to the service provider and they are required to address any issue identified immediately. Staff from IPAS follow up to ensure that all notified issues have been addressed and remedied.”
“We take complaints from residents very seriously and all residents are made fully aware of their ability to contact the Department at any time in confidence to raise any queries or concerns,” the spokesperson said.
During Covid-19 there is “daily contact with the Centres on a wide range of matters, including following up on any complaints from residents,” they added.
The Department has also funded a health line through SafetyNet so that the Centre can raise any matter of concern by residents, they said, and a risk assessment framework has been developed with the HSE, which has been applied to all centres in recent weeks.
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Give an inch and they take a mile.
@Seriousnojoke: Ya these private operators have no consideration for human life.
@Seriousnojoke: Have you ever been in a direct provision centre? They make Mountjoy look like the ritz.
@Johnny 5: I know Johnny but as cruel as the reality is DP is not and shouldn’t be Ireland’s priority when we still have homeless Irish families to house.
@Seriousnojoke: it’s possible for the government to address more than one issue at the same time. Homelessness in Ireland has no silver bullet solution and involves complex systems like the housing market, mental health, social welfare and employment. Direct provision can be easily cancelled or drastically improved with a bit of effort.
@Seriousnojoke: people use this argument a lot – and you’re right, homeless people should be helped as a priority. But it’s not either / or. The homelessness crisis is a separate issue. Do you think that, if we had no asylum seekers or any system of support for them, then we would have no homeless people? Homelessness is a wide-ranging and world-wide societal issue that has multiple causes, and has nothing to do with the appalling way some of these Centres – authorised and funded by us – treat the residents.
@alexandryan: Best solution would be we stop being so kind and taking in any more asylum seekers in order to make sure nobody suffers from such appalling conditions.
@Johnny 5: and what do u suggest be put in place of DP centres?
Apartments maybe? Houses maybe? Get real. Theres thousands on the housing list, maybe we should just have asylem seekers skip the list? What do u suggest?
@Johnny 5: Yes, and no they don’t.
@Johnny 5: really people have to slop out in direct provision? They are locked in cells? Don’t make such a silly statement
@Seriousnojoke: those who are here let them stay and after that no more An who have been given right to if they commit a crime deport them
@Seriousnojoke: those who are here let them stay and after that no more An who have been given right to if they commit a crime deport them hope this is not deleted
@Richard Russell: That’s fair
@Johnny 5: and why are you comparing it to a criminal holding facility?
@Richard Russell: Some people on here have the compassion of Hitler. These are refugees and deserve better conditions. They deserve the right to proper accommodation, work and to feed themselves. They are not looking for a free hand outs but requesting dignity and respect – which is often lacking in these discussions.
@Con Cussed: so do people trapped in hotels and bed and breakfast on the housing list for years…. but let’s just forget about them will we.
@Johnny 5: so you have been to. DP Center Mountjoy and the Ritz… u get around…
@Emma Fitzpatrick: Actually Emma, I’ve worked in 2.
@Con Cussed: Not all are genuine refugees. They have all left countries where they were safe to come to Ireland. The system allows rejected claims to stay in the country based on appeal after appeal which is wrong and this is the crux of the issue. Deport the fake claimants immediately and take care of genuine claimants.
@Johnny 5: Direct providing centres make Mountjoy look like the Ritz you say? Nonsense. DP centres aren’t prisons. People can come and go. Unlike you I have been in both environments. Prisons no matter how humane are awful places. DP centres are not in the main people are free and not imprisoned. False comparisons like this belittle the case that can be made against DP.
The issue is not really about DP. It is about delay in decision making and the inability of the Irish state to deport failed asylum seekers many of whom continue to reside in DP.
Who are the owners of these direct provision centers.
Have the owners any links with a political party
Who pays for the decoration and upkeep of these centers
Who decides on the payment for these centers
Financial Transparency must be addressed by the government on the operations of all direct provisions and services
@Criostoir Mac Ranghaill: you know you can actually look this information up and look at the tendering process? Nobody is hiding the information you just didn’t look
@Craic_a_tower: Sorry the information you get is fabricated FACTS
a lot of brown envelopes
@Craic_a_tower: Yes and pigs can fly and sheep of a flock stick together
@Criostoir Mac Ranghaill: you should go to the Gardai with your information you have. Did you ever look at the tendering process?
@Criostoir Mac Ranghaill: this information is published.
@Orlaith Mannion: Similar to the non claimed 19m in the lotto and the stupid toll contracts and FG Politicans not having to honour their tax bill with the revenue
@Craic_a_tower: and the brown envelope culture
@Criostoir Mac Ranghaill: do you have proof of brown envelopes? Is it you just assume there is brown envelopes? I more than willing to listen. Have you looked at the available information?
I have put tenders in for government work so pretty familiar with how it is done. So I would love to know how to save myself all this work.
@Craic_a_tower: Good tip for you Brown Envelopes are secret Don’t tell anyone I told you you can get them in a stationers Mums the word Good Boy
@Criostoir Mac Ranghaill: so no proof. Wild speculation along with no knowledge of how the tender process works. Want to explain how I was successful without bribery?
@Craic_a_tower: As some politicans say an honest man is a nick name for a fool
How did it cost 1 billions for the last 20 years to house these people and now the government are taking action, absolute madness they knew about this for years and did nothing to help.
@Sean Bradley: “these people” the othering comes strong.
@Black Irish lives matter: what is your point ?
@Black Irish lives matter: so is using the term “these people” racist now? That term can be used about any group of people, not everything is race related you know.
@Black Irish lives matter: If you scroll through the comments you’ll see that Sean Bradley is supportive of the asylum seekers and speaks against the profiteering from the misery. These people, yes, as opposed as people not in direct provision. In order to help the group they must be identified.
@Black Irish lives matter: I think you’ve wrongly presumed Sean Bradley’s tone and picked out two words from his all messages, when in fact it’s fairly clear that he would also agree with us that black Irish lives matter. “You people” and “those people” or “people like that” are othering terms and as such are harmful because they allow us to categorise and dehumanise a group. “These people” in this context is simply a way of saying “This group of people here going through this experience”. It inherently notes the fact that they are indeed here on this island with us.
@MOD: The point is that he is morally superior to you and others and is more concerned than you and is an all-round better person than everyone else.
@Black Irish lives matter: so what would you say , these economic migrants, spongers
?
Direct provisions centers 100% better than living in a war zone the working tax payers money is already stretched beyond it limits in this country, so if they’re looking for houses and jobs here let them join the long queue
@Gerard Heery: maybe tax payers money is stretched, because of mismanagement
Of the public purse, over spends, we pay more tax than ever before, still a small population, when we had no money in the 80s, we had houses for everyone, people hadn’t got much, but we had compassion and empathy, there is plenty of money for the wealthy, just have to look at the deals for private hospitals, and private nursing homes. A black hole of a health system,far to many public servants, pen pushers doing very little, easy to blame the weak and vunerable, time to tax the rich that,has been proven to have made billions during the pandemic, billion for a few elites.
@Colette Byrne: a shinner supporter no doubt
@Colette Byrne: “Far too many public servants” you state. How so? In the 1980s Ireland had about 300,000 public servants and about 950,000 in the private sector. Now it has 315,000 public servants and over 2 million in the private sector. In the 1980s the population was around 3.2 million and now its 4.9 million but the number of public servants has stayed broadly the same.
If this is an indicator of the accuracy of your other comments it doesn’t say much about your ability to assess with factual information.
It’s a joke that they’re asking centres to send in photos. Shur obviously you won’t send photos of cheap cornflakes and spam. Weak and cynical response by the dept. EVERYBODY knows DP is morally wrong. Just because we have homeless Irish people doesn’t mean we can treat other nationalities inhumanly as comments here suggest.
@Sonic: i work hard and by the end of the week I have to make do with cheap corn flakes . Shur god love em . I put my hand in my pocket in aldi to pay for my cheap corn flakes . And direct Prov puts their hand in my tax for theirs.,and you want them to have five star quality breakfasts at the tax payers expense.
@Sonic: none of the centres give spam, I remember the rte show that showed the different nationalities in the huge mosney centre, all having food provided from their respective countries. At the end of the day accommodation in this country for those in need is so lacking. The direct provision while not ideal is a hell of a lot better than they had, better than living in camps, better than living on the street. We can only house so many. If these people were allowed to work, they would be so much happier. They need help, in so many ways, from jobs, integration, learning the language which in itself would make their life better. Provably one or two places are not good, most are.
This is just the warm up, the main avent to follow.
So if ye could send us some hotel brochure type photos, that would be great, and if the opperators could jot down a few words, saying, “our center is perfect” that would be great too. Hard to see anything wrong with that in fairness.
@Logan Shepherd: Except for the way I spelled operators :-)
I lived in a mobile home when I got married. Mobile home parks would be great for refugees and asylum seekers. They would have three bedrooms a kitchen for cooking and a sitting area and there own shower and toilet. No need to share facilities with other families.
@rockmast:
You had to look out for yourself. Asylum seekers (who should never have got this far in the first place) have an industry of NGO s and lawyers who live off it.
End the scandal of Direct Provision now. Or is it another tribunal to add to the endless list?
@Johnny 5: what’s the alternative.? Enlighten us.
@Sam Greene: I wish the government and the media were as concerned about our own citizens. Daily articles about DP. Just look in the city centre at the amount of homeless. That should be the priority
@Sam Greene: Faster processing of asylum claims.
@Whoswho: Never mind them.
@Whoswho: they are not Here, a wet day and they are complaining..did they come from 5 star coñditions.No they did not..
What about Irish living conditions.never get a mention..
@Jeannie Laing: Whataboutery. You know it’s possible to look sfter both, don’t you? And just because they’ve come from the kind of hell holes you can’t even imagine, that doesn’t give anyone the right to treat them any differently than if they were Irish. And nobody’s asking for them to bd housed in 5 star conditions. Let them work. Let them contribute to society.
@Sam Greene: process them quickly, return the ones, that dont meet the criteria,
Leaving people in direct provision, for years, having children which then changes things as the kids born here have rights,
Once they are passed they should be moved out of direct provision, many still living in direct provision while working,
Hence why covid was spreading in centres,
People deserve to be allowed move on with their lives, not live in endless stalemate.
@Lingwood: it Takes six months….
Its the end less appeals. 1 appeals and immediately repatriation after.
1 billíon for DP and 5.5 billíon for the NGOs that send them here.
Unsustainable.
@Colette Byrne: the reason they are there for years is cos the application for asylem is refused so its appeal after appeal… and then they say I’m here years, let me stay, it’s just a way of clogging up the system.
@Thewestisbest:
They are processed fast.
Then comes appeal after appeal all paid for by Mr Taxpayer, who is also subsidizing the NGO industry which lives off this issue.
@Johnny 5: but u didnt answer to an alternative to DP other then “let them work” which is ridiculous, why should a possible undocumented asylem seeker be allowed work, you dont know anything of their case? Asylem seekers have to be given asylem before they can avail of work for a reason.
Whats ur alternative to DP? Ur great at saying its inhumane, what do u suggest in its place?
Direct Provision owners are too busy drowning in gold.
“a lack of Halal meats for residents observing Ramadan” <- Do they think folks only follow Halal dietary rules during Ramadan?
@Geoff Lillis: rules for halal food is cruel, we should not be tolerating the cruelty to animals for anyone, it should be outlawed not pandered to.
Changes are needed so that a family is treated as one unit for the legal process, when seeking asylum. It will save lots of time and money getting decisions made more quickly
@DeWitt:
That’s how it works in practice.
Mr X arrives in UK, passing through most of Europe on the way. He applies and is refused asylum. He travels to Belfast gets the train to Dublin and applies here.
The ‘bleeding hearts’ who rather see Irish people on the street, get him through the system. And follow that with family re-unification, wife, children, father and mother.
Follow that with – house and so much welfare that Mr X will never work.
I’m sure,if needs be a community welfare officer in those areas that have DP could easily arrange a 15 minute weekly check.Leave a contact number with a resident spokesperson for any issues encountered and follow up on any concerns raised.Those that have failed to uphold standards would be heavily fined and for any other discrepancies in the future couldbe looking at possible jail terms.
Getting rid of Direct Providion is in the Programme for Government with legislation to be completed by year end. Another good reason to support the FFFGGP coalition!
@Fionn Darland: and we all know if it’s in a programme for government then it’s as good as done right? Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a Metro North train to catch.
@The Guru: I’m still on the “contract for the people”.
@Fionn Darland: You’re easily misled, aren’t you?
@The Guru: Lol!… We’re a Charlie Chaplin movie.
@The Guru: Still waiting to see the great programme PBP and sf came up with following their talks. Oh wait they didn’t come up with anything.
@Fionn Darland: impossible to fulfill. Where are all these homes going to be magically found?
@Fionn Darland: PBP are more a collection of knee-jerk reactions, than a political party. Meanwhile 8k of Cromwell’s soup if the luvvies accept this fiasco
Charlie Simply send in Inspectors in announced
Look at UK system, make a comparison around Europe. UK, RECEPTION centres or BxB if they are full. No food is provided in centres, you must feed and clothe out of £37. Per week, Ireland give out € 38.80 ten euro less per child BUT food is also provided at centres here as surgical care and also at the a t expense to taxpayer a lawyer who Will get judicial review after judicial review. This would cost me €100K if I needed to take one. I ask the question why are more than 70% not found to qualify yet many of them stay here, not leaving even when they are asked to do so.
How is it that if I leave in Africa and my life is in danger, whyI err would I not goto the nearest country on that continent ?
Vast majority of seekers pay traffickers to bring them here and UK, becabuse of welfare state, not as generous in France, look at Cherbourg, why not apply in first safe country.
This is a racket funding traffickers around the world, it will continue until we change the system to remove economic migrants here illegally quickly before the do gooders here campaign to keep them.
Pepole in towns are now saying that centres are not good for migrants because if they say they don’t want them they will be accused of racism. We are entitled to secure our borders, we are no different to UK , when cultures clash there will be problems regardless of skin colour.
The writer of the article mentioned the push to get rid of DP, what to put in its place, an apparent or a house for everyone when they arrive uninvited ? The promised social houses could be used for this perhaps that’s what rep organisations want. Will those born here , real Irish want to queue behind so called ‘new arrivals’ wait and see, that’s where this is going. Flanagan is right to look for real evidence of what conditions are in DP
Aramark, the company that owns the Avoca shops supplies all of the cheap fried food to DP centers. That’s why I don’t shop in Avoca anymore.
DP owners get well paid to treat them terribly so they will phone family and say dont come…
This information is published
“The Department has not published any Direct Provision centre inspections since January 2019.”
Bit suspect that we haven’t seen reports in over a year.
Improve the standards of living while not charging me anything extra!!… sure thing. Just let them work gawd damn.
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