Hiqa inspection finds pests and overcrowding in asylum seeker accommodation centres

During the Hiqa inspection, there were 52 residents living in the tented part of Knockalisheen Centre. File picture: David Raleigh

A child asylum seeker had to be hospitalised following the presence of pests, according to the latest inspection reports on asylum seeker accommodations in Ireland.

The reports also found the living conditions of male asylum seekers in tents in a centre in Co Clare posed “potential risks to their health, safety and welfare.” 

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) published its first inspection reports on four international protection accommodation centres in Limerick, Kildare, Monaghan and Clare. It comes after Hiqa assumed the function of monitoring and inspecting these centres against national standards in January.

Key issues found within these centres include safeguarding issues across centres including failing to make sure that staff were Garda vetted.

At St Patrick's Accommodation Centre in Monaghan, inspectors found evidence of overcrowding as well as the presence of pests. The overcrowding issues meant that some adults and children had to share beds which left little room to store personal belongings.

The report said: “While children and their families were accommodated together and each family had access to their own private living space, in addition to sleeping quarters, there were in some instances, cases of overcrowding and lack of space available for families to sleep in a comfortable and dignified manner.” 

The inspector also noted that from observations of the living areas and speaking to residents, there were pest issues in the centre. This resulted in one child being hospitalised as a direct result of pests in their accommodation.

“While measures had been taken by the service provider through contracting a pest control company, these measures were ineffective in the longer term,” the report said. “There was no system in place by the service provider to monitor this risk and to ensure a consistently safe and comfortable living environment was provided to residents at all times.” 

Knockalisheen Centre

Meanwhile, at the centre in Clare, inspectors said that while it was not operating at full capacity, further admissions would “put significant pressure on resources and facilities.” 

During the inspection, there were 52 residents living in the tented part of Knockalisheen Centre. While these residents had access to communal showers and toilets, they had to go to the main building to have other basic needs met.

On observation, the inspector noted that they did not have a private area to change clothes, no privacy screens between beds or access to a storage space. Clothes and belongings of the residents were observed on the floor of the tents.

The report further added that the conditions of the living area posed potential risks to their health, safety and welfare.

Some residents also said their tent was often cold and noisy, “making it difficult to sleep”. However, the tents were warm on the day of inspection.