Accommodation centres should be spread across the country, says Labour

Vivienne Clarke

Labour party leader Ivana Bacik, who represents the Grand Canal area where international protection applicants were staying in tents, has welcomed the fact that alternative accommodation “appears to have been found”.

Ms Bacik, speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, commended local residents and volunteers who had provided support for the people, but said that the situation had been ”inhumane and unsustainable” and there was “a lack of joined up thinking” by the Government.

“I do want to start by commending the local residents and, indeed, the great group of local volunteers who've been providing support to the individuals who were left with no option but to sleep in tents along the canal. There's actually been such compassion and support shown, but certainly this was a situation that was inhumane and unsustainable.

“I called on the Taoiseach yesterday to ensure that alternative and secure accommodation would be offered to those who've come here seeking refuge. And I do welcome the fact that it appears that such accommodation is now being found.

It appears also from our volunteers who were here earlier, that the multi-agency operations were carried out with dignity and respect for individuals.

“There is a lack of joined up thinking here from government on the provision of accommodation longer term. And we have called on the government to implement the recommendations of their own report, the Catherine Day Expert Group report, which called for the government to move away from privately run accommodation provision for those seeking refuge, and instead to introduce and develop a series of six reception centres, reception and integration centres, which would have capacity to provide accommodation and that supports the pressing need.

“The 100 people who are here in tents had largely arrived over recent days. There is likely to be more people arriving. And we don't have any certainty from government as to where they will be accommodations. And that's simply not good enough. We need to see a more coherent and a more sustainable plan.”

“The crunch point is the provision of accommodation. So the issue is the lack of capacity in centres and the fact that until now, the Department of Integration appears, has been left with the entirety of the responsibility of providing accommodation.

“What we haven't seen up to date is that sense of central coordination or controls in government, and I think it is welcome indeed, if there is a move towards that now.

WBut it is long overdue. And it's the lack of that central coordination that has led to this rather piecemeal approach from seeing, people provided with tents effectively told to go and camp somewhere and then, you know, a build up of really inhumane conditions and of course, a lack of security for those individuals. And it's not sustainable either for the individuals seeking refuge here fled war and persecution in so many cases. Nor is it sustainable for local communities.”

Ms Bacik said it was “vitally important” that there be a “good spread” of centres providing accommodation around the country. It was “very important” that any empty State owned sites be utilised under a centrally coordinated system.