Ivana Bacik repeats Labour's plan to introduce state-run integration centres

Vivienne Clarke

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik repeated her party’s plan to introduce state-run reception and integration centres on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

This could be achieved by repurposing vacant buildings, such as Baggot Street hospital, to provide accommodation, and implementing the recommendations of the Catherine Day Expert Group report, she said.

Ms Bacik emphasised the need for a more inclusive and welcoming society, and highlighted the contributions that immigrants and refugees have made to Ireland, particularly in the healthcare sector.

“Frankly, I think that Sinn Féin's policy on immigration is simply unsustainable, to suggest that there is a particular benchmark of affluence," she said.

"That's not appropriate. Across the country in affluent and not so affluent communities, we are seeing success stories of integration.”

Labour's housing policy included the creation of a state-led construction company to build 10,000 social and affordable homes within three years, as well as the use of the Land Development Agency to deliver more homes, she added.

“The Land Development Agency employs about 200 people. That's simply nowhere near enough to start delivering the scale of homes that our communities need. So we have talked about getting to a point, and it's set out in our manifesto, where we can deliver 50,000 homes a year. That's a mix of social and affordable and indeed private.

"The reality is that the private sector cannot afford to underwrite the risk of construction anymore where costs are too high. Everyone I speak to in the sector tells me the state can underwrite the risk because the state has the deep pockets.”

Ms Bacik also addressed concerns about the state's ability to manage large-scale construction projects, citing the successful school building programme as an example of the state's capacity to deliver projects on time and within budget.

The Labour Party also planned to reform the rental market, including a ban on no-fault evictions and the introduction of rent-to-buy and save-to-buy schemes to support renters.

Ms Bacik said there was a need for a center-left government to address the housing crisis and provide a vision for the younger generation, who are increasingly leaving the country due to the lack of affordable housing options.