‘Scrap Direct Provision’ call as TD reveals cost has tripled in four years
THE cost of emergency accommodation/direct provision for immigrants tripled in just four years from 2017, figures secured by Social Democrat co-leader Catherine Murphy have revealed.
The abolition of Direct Provision, which has been described as representing the modern equivalent of the Magdalene laundries, is a key pledge in the programme for government.
A series of questions by Ms Murphy reveals that outside of the moral issues, strong fiscal incentives now exist to end the controversial scheme.
Ms Murphy asked Green
‘We will be holding Coalition to account’
minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman, the amount paid to commercial firms to accommodate persons seeking international protection and privately-owned direct provision centres in each of the years 2017 to 2019, and to the date in 2020 on which responsibility was passed to his department.
Mr O’Gorman was also asked to provide the schedule and number of firms and/or companies, over that duration that received differing amounts.
He revealed that costs for the scheme totalled €421,269,314 from 2017 to 2020.
Initially, total costs for the service were €59,210,398 in 2017 but these increased at an accelerating rate from €69,023,007 in 2018 to €120,454,197 in 2019 and €172,581,712 in 2020.
Mr O’Gorman revealed that the total paid by the State to private companies to house refugees from 2017 to 2020 was €278,614,421 million.
During that timescale the amount paid per annum almost doubled from €48,381,842 in 2017 to €99,521,828.
The number of companies and firms involved in the provision of private services also increased from 18 to 26 by 2020, with five earning more than €2m, five earning more than €3 m and two earning more than €5m.
A further 32 companies provided emergency housing services and a total of 83 companies were employed over the full range of services in 2020.
In an indication of the escalating chaos within the service, the cost of emergency accommodation (hotels and B&Bs) increased from zero in 2017 to just over €1m in 2018, €34,282,998 in 2019 and €59,708,536 in 2020.
When a further €10,672,033 in State accommodation costs are factored into the 2020 figures, the total spent on accommodation in 2020 was €169,902,397.
Mr O’Gorman also detailed the variety and cost of services associated with the accommodation centres.
This included: provision of accommodation and ancillary services in accommodation centres that are privately owned and operated; provision of management and ancillary services in accommodation centres that are State owned; provision of emergency accommodation where there was insufficient capacity within accommodation portfolio to meet demand for services; provision of transport services to international protection applicants living in accommodation centres; provision of utilities in State-owned centres; funding to NGOs/community groups to assist residents and purchasing of fixtures and fitting for State-owned centres.
The figures reveal that, after accommodation, the costliest service came under the heading of ‘management and ancillary’. Over four years this cost €39,989,169.
Social Democrat co-leader Catherine Murphy said: ‘The best thing for everyone is that this scheme is replaced by something that is more fit for purpose. We will in this regard be holding the Coalition to account when it comes to its entirely correct pledge to phase out this scheme.’