Independent TD Carol Nolan has accused Sinn Féin of engaging in “immigration washing” to distract from what she called the party’s “pathetic silence” on Ireland’s immigration policy.
In a statement responding to Sinn Féin’s announcement of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation into IPAS expenditure, the Laois-Offaly TD welcomed the move but launched a scathing attack on the party’s record.
“While I welcome the formal investigation by PAC, let us be under no illusion, particularly with respect to Sinn Féin; this is an exercise in immigration washing that will fail to convince anyone who has sat back and watched that party roll over and have its stomach tickled by the most extreme open borders advocates,” she said.
Nolan – who was formerly a Sinn Féin TD herself – claimed Sinn Féin had alienated internal dissenters and flip-flopped on the issue.
“This is a party that alienated critical voices on this matter from within its own ranks,” she said.
“It has jumped from demonising communities as hotbeds of so-called ‘far-right’ activity to demonstrating a shallow solidarity when it became clear that the tide was changing and that working class communities in particular had had enough.”
She said the PAC probe must go beyond financial scrutiny.
“By all means, let us follow the money,” Nolan said.
“Let us forensically analyse and account for every cent of the Irish peoples money. But more than that, let us send a signal that we are no longer prepared to play host to the parasitic funds and opportunistic profiteers that have jumped on the golden IPAS accommodation bandwagon that has steamrolled through communities to the detriment of us all.”
Nolan also referenced a previous call for a tribunal.
“Last October I clearly stated that there were grounds for the establishment of a Government tribunal to scrutinise where the billions of euros of taxpayers’ money was actually going with regards to accommodation for asylum seekers and immigrants to Ireland,” she said.
“This followed the confirmation that I established from former Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s that his department did not know how many times it has awarded contracts to people who didn’t own the properties they offered to house asylum seekers.”
She concluded with a direct attack on Sinn Féin’s approach to the issue.
“Where were the tough boys and girls in Sinn Féin then?” she asked.
“Cowering behind their polling to see which way the wind was blowing I suspect.”
Sinn Féin were contacted for comment. However, no reply was received.
The PAC investigation, announced earlier today by Sinn Féin TD John Brady, is set to begin in June. It will examine the €1.84bn spent in 2024 on accommodation for International Protection applicants and those fleeing the war in Ukraine, equating to an average daily spend of €5m.
Brady, who chairs the PAC, said the government’s handling of the issue represented “a runaway train” and pointed to a 54% increase in spending compared to 2023.
“This is not a marginal overspend – this is a runaway train,” he said.
The IPAS system – the International Protection Accommodation Service – is responsible for housing asylum seekers while their applications are processed. The Department of Integration has been under pressure over the scale of spending, as well as the suitability of contracted facilities and the lack of clear data around procurement.