More than 1,200 asylum seekers will be forced to leave hotel accommodation from next month, as host venues refuse to renew their contracts with the Department of Integration.
As reported this week, a total of 1,228 beds which are currently occupied by asylum claimants are set to be lost from the system, leading to what Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman has called a “shortage.”
In addition to this, the country’s main asylum hub at Citywest is now closed to new arrivals, as it is “oversubscribed.”
Already to date there are 371 asylum seekers present in Ireland who the government has not been able to provide accommodation for, according to the Irish Refugee Council (IRC). Many of these are believed to be homeless and sleeping in the streets currently.
“There are currently 371 international protection applicants in Ireland who have not been offered accommodation,” said Nick Henderson, CEO of the IRC.
“This is a situation that began in mid January. We said then, that we had huge concerns about what would happen in the following months and unfortunately, those concerns have been borne out.”
According to the Irish Examiner, the Irish state is facing as many as 87 different legal challenges from such asylum seekers who were not given accommodation upon their arrival in the country.
Figures from the International Protection Office show that around 85 Ukrainians and 29 International Protection applicants are arriving in Ireland daily – 114 total per day, or 798 per week.
As of mid-February this year, the cost of accommodating refugees in hotels had surpassed €605 million, with €41 million owed to hotels in outstanding invoices from the Department of Integration.
The total bill for accommodating Ukrainian refugees in hotels has reached €605m https://t.co/AXI5CazK88
— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) February 13, 2023
According to rural TDs, many hoteliers are reportedly unhappy that the State has not paid the agreed amounts in the various contracts.
In January Independent Sligo-Leitrim TD Marian Harkin said that one hotel was owed €400,000 since October, despite sending an invoice multiple times.
Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Michael Ring, dubbed the situation “disgraceful,” saying: “Substantial amounts of money are owed to a number of providers and they are complaining to local TDs that they are not getting paid and they’re demanding to know where their money is.”
He added: “What sort of message does that send out to hotels, and other providers, who the Government is trying to get to accommodate Ukrainians and asylum seekers?”
According to the Irish Independent, a Department spokesperson said that the payment of the invoices was taking a while because there is more red tape when it comes to State funding.
“It is important to note an invoice is only overdue if it is correct for payment but not paid within the agreed timeframe,” they said.
“Some payments to suppliers are held up because they have not provided the documentation we require.
“It is important to note that we invest considerable time and effort in helping suppliers meet the requirements of the Comptroller and Auditor General, and that we cannot pay them until they do.”