Government considering charter flights to remove failed asylum applicants
Tender Not A File Does Cost The Out Set Picture
The Government is "sounding out" whether charter flights can be used in order to remove those who have failed in asylum applications.
A tender posted on Tuesday says that the Office of Government Procurement, on behalf of the Department of Justice, "wishes to take soundings from the market as to its capacity to provide Charter Flights and Associated Support Services for the purpose of Removal Operations".
"The Office of Government Procurement is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) and invites responses from economic operators for the purpose of market research. This is a market sounding exercise to obtain market information on Charter Flights and Associated Support Services for the purpose of Removal Operations to the Department of Justice. It is not a call for competition."
The tender does not set out a cost.
The move comes as Justice Minister Helen McEntee adds Algeria and Botswana to the list of "safe countries" for asylum seekers.
The addition of Algeria, specifically, is seen as significant as it accounts for over 3,100 of those seeking international protection in Ireland. According to the most recent figures, Botswana accounts for 746.
Safe countries of origin are countries where it can be shown there is generally and consistently no persecution, no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and no threat by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.
The countries currently on the ‘safe countries’ list are Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Georgia; Kosovo; Macedonia; Montenegro; Serbia; and South Africa.
Meanwhile, new figures have shown there are 758 international protection applicants (IPAs) currently without State-provided accommodation.
Since December 4, some 1,030 male IPAs have been without accommodation at one stage, 120 of whom have been accommodated after being triaged for vulnerabilities.
A further 152 have since been offered accommodation while 910 have received a weekly contingency payment of €113.80, a temporary increase of €75 for those who have not been offered accommodation.