Tents for asylum seekers to be put at Thornton Hall site ‘in near future’

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Asylum seekers are to be housed in tents at Thornton Hall “in the near future”, the Department of Integration has said.

The site in north Dublin had previously been earmarked to build a prison.

The use of the site as emergency accommodation comes as 1,780 male international protection applicants are without an offer of State-provided accommodation, and as ministers pledged to clear makeshift camps on the streets of Dublin city.

Speaking in Dublin, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said Thornton Hall is being considered as a site to put tents for asylum seekers.

“I believe Thornton Hall should be used,” he told reporters.

“I understand there’s work underway between the Department of Children, Department of Justice and other departments. We’re exhausting every possible opportunity that exists.”

The Department of Integration said in a statement that the use of the site was part of a new asylum strategy announced on March 27th.

“The multi-strand approach focuses on both increasing State-owned permanent capacity and the upgrading of additional contingency accommodation, developed to specific national standards, to build an effective system to meet the new realities of increasing need while enabling the State to discharge its duty to meet the material reception conditions of IP Applicants,” it said.

“The current mechanism for contracting accommodation for International Protection Applicants (IPAs) is predominantly to avail of offers from private providers, which is not sustainable and has led to a shortfall in availability.

“As part of the implementation of the new strategy, a portion of land at the Thornton Hall site has now been identified for potential utilisation for accommodation for International Protection applicants.

“A request from DCEDIY was made to DOJ for consideration of the allocation of a portion of the Thornton Hall site.

“In the immediate term, the plan is to use an area of this site for emergency type accommodation, and DCEDIY is closely engaged with DOJ and the Irish Prison Service to bring that accommodation onstream in the near future.”