The Government is seeking tenders for the construction of a multi-million-pound centre for asylum-seekers within 10 miles of Dublin Airport.
The centre will be used for asylum-seekers arriving in Ireland and may also be used to detain those awaiting deportation, a source confirmed last night.
At present, asylum-seekers awaiting deportation are detained in Garda stations.
The centre will consist of prefabricated buildings and will accommodate up to 400 people.
The centre is the first of a number planned for around the State.
A tender for the development was placed in the national newspapers yesterday. The advertisement seeks proposals from parties interested in providing "fully managed accommodation solutions" for up to 400 people in temporary buildings in the north Dublin area, within a 10-mile radius of Dublin Airport.
The contract will involve the construction of prefabs, catering and security facilities and other relevant services.
The site must be ready to accept asylum-seekers within six months of the awarding of the contract. The deadline for the receipt of tenders is January 8th, which means the centre could be in operation by next summer.
Until now the Department of Justice has been concentrating on finding accommodation for the 1,000 asylum-seekers coming to Ireland every month in hotels, hostels and B and Bs. More than 3,000 places have been found in this way.
The Department is now refocusing and concentrating on developing serviced sites. It says many commentators are underestimating the difficulty it has in finding accommodation, given the fact that there are still hundreds of asylum-seekers coming in every month.
The Department has asked health boards and local authorities to see if they have sites suitable for refugee centres.
A Department spokesman said it had earmarked north Co Dublin because there is land with potential for developing asylum centres.
It is understood that a site owned by the McEvaddy brothers near Dublin Airport was earmarked earlier this year for the development of an asylum centre. The Government was in negotiations with a Canadian company which was interested in leasing the land and developing the facilities.
The company planned to bring in prefabricated units in flat packs. However, the proposal fell through.