Local election candidates have been left in limbo over whether they are allowed into direct provision centres to canvass.

The private firm that is shutting down the largest direct provision centre in the capital received payments totalling €27.5m from the State over an 11 year period for operating the centre, new figures show.

A Direct Provision centre run by a company whose €1.37m in borrowings were sold by Nama to a subsidiary of a so-called vulture capital fund company has closed down after claims that management failed to meet health and safety standards.

The Government has admitted that the failure to prosecute and convict criminals involved in human trafficking was a “pressing concern”.