Dundrum House IPAS contract
Deputy Murphy raised the quashing of a section 5 declaration for Dundrum House Hotel and criticised the continued IPAS contract and loss of the golf course. The Tánaiste declined to comment on the court dispute, noted a meeting had been arranged, and said it also fed into wider migration policy.
I notified the Ceann Comhairle's office on Tuesday that I would take this question, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Is that in order?
Comment on this
On Monday of this week the High Court quashed a section 5 declaration applying to Dundrum House Hotel. This site is no longer planning compliant, yet we maintain a multimillion-euro IPAS contract with a company whose shady business dealings are before the High Court. There is no accountability, no transparency and no due diligence. This is not about IPAS; this is about the taxpayer and the people of Dundrum. Since we have entered into this contract, we have lost a golf course. Some 780 members can no longer drive a golf ball on the golf course. We lost all the ancillary activities as well. This is about standing up for the proud people of Dundrum. More importantly, it is about standing up for the taxpayer. I ask that this multimillion-euro contract be brought to a halt.
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue in the House, as he has done on many occasions. I will not, for understandable reasons, comment on matters that are the subject of a commercial dispute before the courts. I understand that the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, has agreed to meet with the Deputy next week to discuss the broader matter he raises on behalf of the people of Dundrum. When I have been in his constituency I have met many local kind, decent people who want to have a conversation about this issue.
It also raises a broader issue. As we form our new national migration policy, which we must do because immigration is a good thing but so too are rules and structures, we need to move away from the reliance on hotels and private facilities, which is causing real difficulties and challenges, particularly in rural Ireland. We will ensure that the Deputy has a meeting with the Minister for justice next week, and I will continue to engage with the Deputy on this.