Asylum seekers can now receive election pamphlets after RIA u-turn - but no canvassers

Migrant rights groups welcomed news that asylum seekers will be allowed to receive election literature, even though direct provision centres are still no-go zones for candidates.

The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), which oversees the asylum seeker system, had issued a circular in April in which it stressed that Direct Provision (DP) centres had to be “politically neutral”. DP centre managers were instructed to ensure party political leaflets and other election activity were kept away from the centres. This sparked protests from groups such as the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Nasc and the Irish Refugee Council.

It emerged yesterday that a new circular, also written by RIA principal officer Noel Dowling, had been issued to DP centres, stating that centres could now receive election leaflets, but residents of DP centres cannot be canvassed by candidates in the elections.