Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd has clashed with Green Party Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman over plans to house asylum seekers in the D Hotel in Drogheda, Co. Louth, describing him as a “bad minister.”
“You’re taking from us our only hotel – that’s the key point,” a frustrated O’Dowd said during a Dáil debate on Thursday.
“Leave the hotel to the people, leave the hotel to tourism,” he continued, adding that it was a case of “bad business, bad minister, bad Government business.”
He also accused the Minister of failing to adhere to the regulations on fire safety.
“You did not confirm to your own regulations,” he said.
“You did not insist on full compliance with your regulations and you signed a contract without a fire certificate, which is the cause and the reason for this concern.
“Now the facts are that the premises is now a huge controversy.”
He added: “[The fire safety certificate] was not in place when you signed the contract. Therefore, the contract is null and void. You’ve been asked to renegotiate the contract – are you going to do that, and if not, why not?”
O’Gorman contested this point.
“You can shake your head if you want – the fact is you didn’t do it. You didn’t do it!” O’Dowd said.
O’Gorman insisted that Department officials had sought evidence from the hotel owners of the fire safety certificate, and that “that evidence was duly produced.”
“The provider’s fire safety expert has confirmed that the building’s fire safety cert is fully compliant for the use of the hotel bedrooms.”
O’Gorman also claimed that 220 spaces that are available in Drogheda can only be used by beneficiaries of temporary protection by Ukrainians.
“That is not true Minister – that is not true,” replied O’Dowd.
“With respect to the Deputy, that is true,” O’Gorman shot back.
“No, your Department told me that was not the case – you have been misinformed Minister.” O’Dowd said.
O’Gorman said “They are not available for the use of international protection,” to which O’Dowd replied “They are…that is not true…He is not saying the facts. I have to challenge him on that.”
O’Gorman also said that he acknowledged that the loss of hotel beds was an issue, but said he was in the “invidious” position of having to secure accommodation or seeing asylum seekers going homeless.
“The Deputy knows and I acknowledge the frustration about the need to use this hotel,” he said.
“I recognise that the people of Drogheda have welcomed many international protection applicants and many Ukrainians over the past two years, and in some cases, long before that as well,” he said.
“I acknowledge that the most of the anger about this is to do with the removal of tourist beds. I understand it. All I can say is that I am left in the invidious position of securing accommodation or seeing people being left homeless. I understand this is something that no one in this House, or indeed anywhere else, wants either.”
He added that he and the government is “failing” 1,000 asylum seekers who have not been offered accommodation.
“I have a legal obligation to provide accommodation,” he said.
“I am failing in it and the Government is failing in it for 1,000 people right now. Deputy O’Dowd can shake his head about that, but that is the sad fact of it.”