I note the headline this morning: "Government may reconsider placing asylum seekers in areas where there is 'tension' says Minister" - the Minister, Deputy Coveney. I put it to the Minister that that is bowing to the pressure of the far right, that it will be seen as bowing to the pressure of the far right and that it will encourage the far right to stir up tension and say, "See, not here." There are also reports this morning that the State may not provide accommodation for asylum seekers who come in the next few days. People may end up sleeping rough on the streets. Is the Government seriously saying that at a time when people of colour, including workers and students, are nervous or afraid to come into town or to walk through town for even 15 or 20 minutes that it will force people to sleep on the streets all night - by the way in areas where there are particular tensions?

Last Thursday, a building which recently had been used for asylum seeker accommodation in Parnell Street had all its front windows smashed. In Finglas, a building earmarked for refugee accommodation was set ablaze in a petrol bomb attack. The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland said there is fear and confusion in many direct provision centres. If people living in buildings with locked doors and security staff are feeling fearful, what will it be like for an asylum seeker who is forced to sleep rough on the streets? Sub-zero temperatures might be the least of their problems.

All along the line the Government has underestimated the far right and now that the far right is sufficiently emboldened to pose a real risk to life and limb, the Government is about to make the same mistakes again. Does the Minister not remember what happened at Sandwith Street last May? There might as well have been targets painted on the backs of those people who were forced to sleep out in tents and then violently attacked, with their tents and belongings burned out.

The chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council said this morning that there are 6,000 people in IPAS accommodation who have status and are legally entitled to source alternative accommodation but they cannot because there is none. Those are 6,000 places that could avert this crisis but Fine Gael's housing crisis has knocked that possibility on the head. There is a lot of vacant property in this State owned by business interests who are speculating on the housing crisis. I support the State taking over that accommodation and using it to accommodate all of the 13,000 people in emergency accommodation and others including asylum seekers coming to this State. That is the emergency legislation that we need not the emergency legislation the Government is talking about. If it brings it forward, we will happily vote for it.

Can the Minister give this House a guarantee that no asylum seeker will be denied accommodation and that no asylum seeker will be forced to sleep rough on our streets in the weeks ahead?

I thank the Deputy for his question and for raising this issue. As a country of emigrants, we have always welcomed people into our country - those who wish to live, work and set down roots here. We have also welcomed and will continue to welcome those who seek our help and seek international protection be it those coming from Ukraine who are in receipt of temporary protection or international protection applicants.

As a country we have seen a significant increase in those seeking protection in recent years. We have gone from on average about 3,000 people seeking international protection to last year 15,000 people reaching our shores and this year to date it is over 10,000 people. At every step of the way we have done everything in our power to ensure that we are committed to and respond to our international obligations, that we provide support, that we provide a roof over people's heads and that we make sure that people who need our help receive it. That will not change. Of course, there are pressures in moving from a figure of 3,000 to 15,000 in a year. Of course, there would be pressures with 100,000 people coming from Ukraine. However, we have responded to this challenge. The people of this country have responded to this challenge and we will continue to respond to this challenge.

The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, working with his Department and supported by the entire Government, is working to identify new centres and new accommodation. Yes, that includes tented accommodation. It is not what we would want but it is better to have a roof over people's heads and to support them in whatever way that we can. Yes, there are real pressures at the moment on international protection and accommodation. However, let me reassure the Deputy that if the Department is unable to provide accommodation for anyone, mitigation measures will be put in place. We saw that before and it will happen again.

I again reassure Deputies that my Department and An Garda Síochána are working closely with the international protection system to make sure that any person who is vulnerable, that any person or any centre that is under attack or feels that they may be under attack is supported by members of An Garda Síochána. Last Thursday, when things escalated and where there was concern among the migrant community, members of An Garda Síochána responded immediately. In those centres in our city centre where concerns were raised and where people were rightly fearful, members of An Garda Síochána responded to keep them safe. The feedback I have received has been nothing but positivity in terms of the support that people are receiving not just from gardaí, but from the vast majority of people in this country.

Yes, there are significant challenges; I do not think anybody has shied away from that. However, we will fulfil our obligations and we will absolutely make sure that those who are entitled to and those who deserve international protection will receive that from us.

I note that I did not get a guarantee that people will not be forced to sleep rough. The Minister spoke about mitigation measures, tented accommodation and a roof over the head. Tented accommodation is not a roof over the head, by the way. That is an important point. It is significant that while the Government is talking about putting on the agenda facial recognition technology, water cannon, stronger pepper spray, more riot police and more dogs - in other words more State repression - it is failing to deal with the social crisis in society. It is failing to deal with the issue of asylum seekers that I have raised and is failing to deal with the issue of homelessness that I have raised. What is needed is precisely the opposite. It is not more law and order and more oppression. It is tackling the social crisis, the issue of asylum seekers, the issue of homelessness and the housing crisis in our society.

The very people the Deputy is speaking about, those who are marginalised in our community and those who are seeking international protection, are the very people that those thugs and scumbags on Thursday night sought to intimidate. The measures I am putting in place to support the Garda, be it more gardaí, better armour, better equipment, body cameras so that they can have a proper account of what is happening, facial recognition to make sure that these people are identified as quickly as possible-----

I will tell the Minister who they are. Gardaí do not need facial recognition technology.

I am putting in place whatever the Garda needs to make sure that everybody - not just us, not just those who were born in this country but that every single person in this country - is protected, and that we support the Garda to do its job in that regard. I repeat that we have provided accommodation with 10,000 beds for international protection applicants in the last 11 months alone. Some 5,000 children in the last two years have been given accommodation. We will do whatever we can to protect those who need our support. That will not change.