I wish to ask the Taoiseach about yesterday’s top story in the Irish Examiner. Once again, it was news about the Redbarn Quality Hotel, where approximately 370 people going through the asylum seeker process have been based. This was done without consultation. As a local Government TD in the constituency, I only learned this was happening, and the number of people who have been placed in the hotel, from the report in the Irish Examiner. The community is wondering whether this is coming at the detriment of the 450 or so community members from Ukraine who are there under the BOTP system. If the Government is planning a change in use of this building, will it return it for tourism, give the hotel back to the people of Youghal, a tourist town, and restore about 70% of the tourist accommodation that has been stripped from the community by the Government?

On the issues in respect of Youghal, our view, and I have been very clear about this, is that we need to bring hotels back for tourism purposes. I do not believe that Ukrainians should be treated in an unfavourable manner. If they are part of the local schools and have been in a given location for quite some time, I do not approve of their being summarily turfed out and moved on to locations far away. I will discuss this with the new Minister for children in terms of the need to be conscious of the needs of children, Ukrainian children in particular, because of the trauma they have already experienced through having to flee their country because of war. We do not want to add to that trauma.

I will come back to the Deputy on the issues around the development of the Redbarn facility. In some instances, as the Deputy will know himself, the owners have come forward and made their facilities available. There is huge pressure on the system but Youghal has done more than its share in respect of facilitating both Ukrainians and IPAS.