Galway villagers seek to bring challenge against housing of asylum seekers at hotel

High Court reporters

Several residents of a Co Galway village want to bring High Court proceedings in a bid to stop the Government’s decision to house international protection applicants at a local hotel.

Kinvara residents Ruth Sexton, Mary Boyce, Chris Hartnett Dalton and Paul Collins are seeking permission to challenge the recent decision to place up to 98 people in the Merriman Hotel, which is currently home to about 50 Ukrainian people.

According to court documents, the hotel has been used to accommodate people seeking international protection since 2019. The residents say the hotel has 32 rooms.

The residents want to bring the judicial review proceedings against the Minister for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Integration and the Minister for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. It is proposed that MLC Hotel Ltd, the hotel owner, be made a notice party in the action.

According to the residents, a meeting of Kinvara Community Council was in March informed of the Minister for the Department of Integration’s decision to designate the hotel as accommodation for 98 international protection applicants.

In making that decision, the residents claim the Minister failed to assess or evaluate the suitability of the Merriam Hotel to accommodate those people.

They also say the Minister failed to assess or evaluate the availability of amenities in the local area, like school places and medical services.

They claim the use of the hotel as an accommodation centre since 2019 has resulted in losses of up to €13.3 million to the local area.

None of the €9 million paid to MLC Hotel Ltd through its contract to provide accommodation has benefited the local community, the residents claim, leading to the closure of restaurants and reducing opening hours at local pubs.

They say the Minister has failed to assess or evaluate the economic impact of his decision.

Moving the application to bring the judicial review proceedings this week, Mary Moran-Long BL, for the residents, said her clients were representing the community of Kinvara.

Ms Sexton, of Sexton’s Bar, Main Street, Kinvara, is a publican; Ms Boyce, of Cathercon, Kinvara, is a homemaker; Mr Hartnett Dalton, of Northampton, Kinvara, is a financial broker; and Mr Collins, of Crushoa, Kinvara, is a publican.

Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger said she felt there was insufficient material before the court to make a decision on whether or not to give Ms Moran-Long permission to bring the proceedings.

She permitted Ms Moran-Long to amend her court documents, and file additional sworn statements as required.

Ms Justice Bolger adjourned the case to next month. She directed that the respondents, the Minister for Integration and the Minister for Justice, be put on notice of the application for permission to bring the judicial review proceedings.