More than half of the 175 residents of an accommodation centre in Cork for international protection applicants had been granted the right to stay in Ireland but were unable to move out, inspectors found when they visited the facility last year.
An inspection report on the Kinsale Road centre by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) is one of eight reports on such centres published on Monday and shows significant divergence between accommodation facilities visited by inspectors last year.
The inspectors found the State-owned centre in Cork, which comprises seven prefabs and is run by the US facility services provider Aramark, was “homely” and “person centred”.
“All of the residents [single adult men, women, and families] whom the inspectors spoke to stated that they felt safe in the centre and were satisfied with the size of the rooms and facilities provided,” the report said. However, 111 who were entitled to leave could not find alternative accommodation.
Ireland’s 11 billionaires saw their wealth grow by a third to €50bn in 2024
Pancreatic cancer: ‘I just can’t explain what it felt like hearing those words’
Remote working in Ireland: People ‘are being pushed back to the office against their will’
‘The phone would ring and it would be Mike Scott from the Waterboys or Bono from U2. Everyone wanted to talk to my father’
Residents at the State-owned, Aramark-run centre in Knockalisheen, Co Clare, told inspectors they were sometimes fearful and scared. Previous inspections had been critical and the inspectors found “sufficient account had not been taken by the service provider to create a consistently safe environment for residents or to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to violence was fostered”.
“The majority of residents who spoke with the inspectors said they felt unsafe at times or had witnessed incidents in the centre that made them fearful or scared,” the report said.
Conditions “posed additional challenges for parents who described placing restrictions on their children’s movement, to prevent them from witnessing aggression or substance misuse in the environment of the centre”.
The centre has capacity for 354 residents, including tented accommodation. There were 38 children staying at the centre, the report said.
An inspection of an Aramark-run accommodation centre in Athlone, Co Westmeath found some of the 191 residents living in cramped or overcrowded conditions. The centre comprises 100 mobile homes and had 27 staff. Single men and women had been moved out and the centre was occupied by families, the report said.
“The inspectors found that residents were for the most part happy and safe living in the centre,” the report said.
However, children had smaller-than-standard single beds, and this was “not adequate for older children and teenagers, particularly on a long-term basis”.
Most residents who spoke to inspectors at the State-owned Johnston Marina centre, outside Tralee, Co Kerry, said they felt safe and happy, according to an inspectors’ report. However, a small number said they did not feel listened to. “These residents said that they did not feel safe living in the centre due to other residents arguing and fighting,” according to the report.
The centre accommodates families and single women, has 34 bedrooms, and had 56 adult and 20 child residents at the time of the inspection.
There were 95 single male residents in the Hanratty’s Hotel accommodation centre in Limerick city when the 48-bedroom facility was inspected. Four residents whose applications had been processed could not leave because of the lack of alternative accommodation. Overall, the feedback received by the inspectors was that residents were happy with the centre.
The Atlantic House accommodation centre, in Tramore, Co Waterford, comprising three buildings with room for up to 80 single males, had 74 residents.
“Residents spoken with were satisfied with the service provided and spoke positively about the staff team,” said the report.
The Finn accommodation centre, in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, comprising a three-storey apartment building over a shopping centre, had 153 residents (85 children) in 41 apartments at the time of inspection. The service is provided by Townbe ULC, which is behind the plan to establish an accommodation centre at the former Crowne Paints site on the Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin.
“The inspectors found, from speaking with residents and staff members and from what was observed, that the centre was generally pleasant, with residents feeling safe, supported and respected, and their autonomy promoted,” the report said.
The Dídean accommodation centre in Portlaoise, Co Laois, comprising nine own-door apartments and houses, had 42 residents at the time of inspection (23 children). The inspectors said the service provided “was of high quality, where residents felt safe and protected and lived in accommodation that met their needs”.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
