The Mosney accommodation centre for asylum-seekers was established in December 2000 and is currently the largest facility of its type in the State.
The accommodation is provided by Mosney Irish Holidays PLC and there is a lease arrangement with the Department of Justice. Mosney is a direct-provision centre, with residents being provided with full board and lodgings and only a small cash sum each week.
Over the four years of its operation the number of asylum-seekers placed at Mosney has increased from 200 to 800.
For some time the North Eastern Health Board, which is responsible for providing health and social services for residents at the centre, has been concerned at a lack of Government funding to meet requirements in this area.
Last month the board told the Department of Health that the provision of services for asylum-seekers was one of the main areas contributing to its financial and staffing problems.
The health board told the Department that the Mosney centre had 793 residents at the end of June, of which 34 per cent were under four years of age. The new health board report on the centre maintains that there has been "minimal consultation with, or involvement of, the North Eastern Health Board in the initial or continuing plans for the Mosney centre".
