Dromahair IPAS accommodation
Deputy Harkin raised local concern about 155 international protection applicants being placed in Dromahair’s only hotel. The Taoiseach stressed community engagement, outlined the history of the hotel site, and referred to the legal dispute over the accommodation.
The Taoiseach already will have received an invitation to visit Dromahair to meet the local community regarding the decision to locate 155 IP applicants in the only hotel not just in Dromahair but in the whole of north Leitrim, despite the Government's new policy of not using the last hotel in any town. For context, pro rata, 155 applicants in Dromahair equates to about 77,000 in Dublin city.
In my one minute, I only have time to say that I believe there is an opportunity if there was real engagement with the community around numbers, service and resources. Dromahair could be a template for how we accommodate asylum seekers in villages. We are told there is consultation but we really know that communities are told what is happening and when it is happening and they have no input into any decision. Dromahair could be different, were the Taoiseach to meet local community representatives and elected representatives. I believe we could do better if we put the community at the centre of what we want to do.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Harkin for raising the issue. I do take on board the importance of community engagement, and I meet communities as I travel around the country. I think there should always be engagement with communities. I understand that the Abbey Manor Hotel shut down in 2009. It was derelict for over 13 years before being purchased by new owners in 2022. That is certainly what I am being told. I understand that there was an offer of this accommodation late last year to the Department of integration and as the Deputy knows well, there was a legal dispute on that between the county council and the Department.
My understanding is that it is likely that this will be used but more likely for families, as the Deputy has suggested. I will certainly ensure there is engagement with the Deputy from the Department, and her point on engaging with the community to try to get this right is a constructive suggestion. Community engagement is something the Government supports. We always say no one has a veto on who lives in an area but engaging with communities and giving people information is important.