News

More than 40% of asylum seekers live in Direct Provision centres for over two years

More than 40% of asylum seekers live in Direct Provision centres for over two years

Five out of 83 Direct Provision centres around the country are over capacity, while a large majority are close to being over-subscribed.

According to figures from the Department of Justice, centres in Meath, Laois, Cork and Clare were housing more people than agreed, with an extra 19 people in the former holiday village in Mosney in Louth.

By the end of last week, 5,928 men, women and children were living in Direct Provision while 202 people, who have recently arrived, were living in temporary accommodation.

The figures show that more than 40% of people in Direct Provision are in accommodation centres for two or more years.

Advertisement

The capacity of Direct Provision accommodation centres in Ireland is 6,093 and 17%, or 1,047 of those, have been in Direct Provision accommodation for between two and three years.

Up to 748 have spent up to four years in Direct Provision, and nearly 3% have been in the accommodation centres for seven years or more.

There are just over 5,000 of live applications for refugee status currently in the system, while the numbers granted refugee status in Ireland has almost doubled in the last four years.

In 2018, just over 900 people got refugee status which continues a steady rise over the last four years. In 2017, 769 were granted refugee status, 725 in 2016, and 547 in 2015.#

Advertisement

- Digital Desk

Advertisement