State struggling to provide services for refugees

The Government is experiencing an “inability” to find accommodation to house people caught up in the mass migration crisis and providing them with the necessary services is emerging as a “very significant issue”.

The Department of Justice’s Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) is also having problems finding further facilities here to accommodate asylum seekers from Greece who are fleeing strife in the Middle East and beyond.

In a briefing document to Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, the department said that 459 asylum seekers had arrived from Greece. Some 183 of these are children, comprising 70 aged 0-4, 82 aged 5-12, and 31 aged 13-17.