<p>
	Two children were intimidated by adult asylum seekers into handing back their lunch as part of a food boycott in a direct provision centre.</p>
<p>
	The boycott was carried out by residents in a number of provision centres around the country as part of a campaign by asylum seekers to be moved into houses and given the right to work.</p>
<p>
	Fresh protests are due to be launched in another centre today amid claims that assaults on staff have increased in recent weeks.</p>
<p>
	Immigration officials fear that &quot;outside influences&quot; are partly responsible for the growing tension within the centres.</p>
<p>
	A total of 4,500 asylum seekers are being housed and fed at 24 direct provision centres nationwide and some have been there for seven years.</p>
<p>
	They are given a weekly allowance but are not permitted to work while awaiting a decision on their asylum applicants.</p>
<p>
	Some 800 deportation orders have been signed by ministers for justice but implementation of orders has slowed down.</p>
<p>
	Many of the decisions have been held up by a logjam in a complicated appeals process, which regularly involves judicial reviews in the courts.</p>
<p>
	Successive ministers have promised to streamline the process without success.</p>
<p>
	But the current minister, Frances Fitzgerald, has promised that new legislation, known as the Protection Bill and aimed at introducing a single application procedure, will be drafted and enacted by next spring.</p>
<p>
	Surge</p>
<p>
	The plan is to dramatically cut the time spent in direct provision and some applicants will have decisions in weeks and the rest in six months. A working group is being set up by Mrs Fitzgerald and Junior Minister Aodhan O Riordain next month to review direct provision and suggest improvements.</p>
<p>
	Officials point out that the system of direct provision is not unique to Ireland and many other countries operate similar methods.</p>
<p>
	Some EU states hold their asylum seekers for lengthy periods in special detention centres. But Ireland does not operate detention centres as a matter of policy.</p>
<p>
	Despite the complaints about the direct provision scheme here, there has been a big surge in the number of asylum applications recently.</p>
<p>
	New figures show a 40pc increase in applications for the first eight months of the year, compared to the corresponding period last year, up from 607 to 854. Last July&#39;s monthly total of 131 was the highest since January 2011 and last month (126) was the second highest.</p>
<p>
	Pakistan tops the table of asylum seekers with 13pc of the applicants, followed by Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Algeria.</p>
<p>
	Based on current trends, it is expected there will be about 1,300 applications for the full year, compared with some 950 for 2013.</p>
<p>
	The food incident involved a couple of children, who were heading for a school bus but were ordered by residents to hand back food they had collected from the canteen.</p>
<p>
	The incident, captured on CCTV cameras, took place during a five-day boycott of the food available at the centre.<br />
	<br />
	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/children-are-intimidated-in-asylum-seeker-food-boycott-30581533.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/children-are-intimidated-in-asylum-seeker-food-boycott-30581533.html</a></p>
