IPAS centres and local communities
Deputy McGrath complained about hotel closures and the placing of IPAS accommodation in communities without adequate consultation. The Minister said emergency accommodation is sometimes welcomed, sometimes contentious, and that a community engagement team is working with local residents.
I too wish the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, well as leader of the Green Party. I have serious concerns about his attitude and behaviour towards communities in which IPAS centres are opening, however. We have now lost three hotels in Tipperary – Racket Hall in Roscrea, Hearns Hotel in Clonmel and Dundrum House Hotel. The Minister refused steadfastly to meet the people of Dundrum, a village of 200 people in which 286 IPAS people were put. The Taoiseach met Andrea Crowe and Nora O’Dwyer, who are two local people, briefly in Clonmel recently. He said he would come back to them with answers. There are no answers. These are decent people. There is no such thing as far right and there is no intimidation or anything else. They want to be listened to and respected as good-living people, instead of decisions being forced on them while the Minister hides and will not meet them. Will the Minister meet a deputation of the people of Dundrum? It is a lovely, famed village. It is a wonderful place with good business people. They are being treated like second-class citizens. They are not being helped. A force of 200 Gardaí was sent down one morning, at a cost of €26,000. It was like the siege of Dundrum. That is not the way to treat ordinary people. I remind the Minister that we live in a democracy.
Comment on this
As the Deputy is aware, as part of our emergency response to both the needs of Ukrainians and international protection applicants, we have opened accommodation all over the country. Many times this accommodation is welcomed by the local communities. Sometimes, there are questions and tensions. That is why is I set up a community engagement team within my Department. The community engagement team has engaged with residents from Dundrum. It has engaged with Deputy McGrath on many occasions on many individual properties. That is the best way to manage and to understand local issues.
To be clear, 280 Ukrainians were living in that location. There are now 280 international protection applicants there. They are families just like it was previously. When Ukrainians were living there, there was great support from the people of Dundrum. I have no doubt, working together, we can ensure a similar level of support for the international protection families.