Department of Justice officials are investigating a number of allegations of intimidation, assault and sub-standard care in some State-funded accommodation centres for asylum-seekers.
Correspondence between asylum support groups and the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), the agency responsible for housing asylum-seekers, shows a number of serious complaints in recent months arising from some of the 62 accommodations centres across the State.
Some allegations have resulted in Garda investigations, while at least one is due to be heard before the courts shortly.
Correspondence seen by The Irish Times between a number of asylum groups around the country and the RIA show allegations of:
staff in centres intimidating residents;
residents being moved from accommodation centres without explanation after making complaints;
staff spitting on food, and pets being fed from the same plates as residents; and
assault allegations between night-time security staff and residents.
The RIA yesterday said it took allegations it received seriously and all complaints were investigated.
"We take a very serious view of bad standards and in the past have given operators 30-day warnings to remedy poor standards. In general this is quite rare," a spokeswoman said.
Ms Judy Irwin, an information officer with the Refugee Information Service, said many centres were "exceptionally run", but that allegations of mistreatment tended to come from specific centres.
"Some of the allegations are very serious. We need regular inspections, better training of the staff and managers and a better complaints procedure," she said.
An RIA spokeswoman said she was satisfied there were generally good standards and that reception or accommodation centres were subject to yearly inspections.
"Generally we work well with all the managers in the centres and have a good relationship with them and they respond.
"Where you have lots of people living in a place, you are bound to get tensions ... where there is substance to them, we investigate them."
Ms Irwin added that residents were very dependent on accommodation centres for most of their needs, given they had a State income of just €19.10 a week.
The Irish Refugee Council said it was also coming across serious complaints "quite regularly" and called for the complaints procedure to be enhanced.
"We are concerned about people being moved on from one centre to another, sometimes without warning," said Mr Itayi Viriri of the Irish Refugee Council.
"It is an issue and we feel that formal procedures are not always followed."
The RIA said there was no evidence to suggest residents were moved on the basis of making complaints. However, some residents opted to move where there was "tension", particularly between residents of different ethnic or religious backgrounds.
