The government is pressing ahead with delivering on plans to provide State-owned reception and integration centres to accommodate 13,000 international protection applicants.
Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, in response to a Dáil question on Tuesday, confirmed that five sites have been licensed with the Department of Integration. These are Crooksling, River Lodge in Wicklow, Heatherside, Thornton Hall, and Lissywoolen in Athlone – all of which have seen heated public protests in response to the plans.
Mr O’Gorman said on Tuesday that tented accommodation has been stood up on Crooksling and at the River Lodge site. Thornton Hall, he said, “will see the same in coming weeks,” followed by Athlone. He also confirmed that the government had secured the use of the former Ukrainian accommodation in Ballyogan, south Dublin.
“Over the past six months, my Department has been focused on progressing the new accommodation strategy I announced in March 2024 with the prioritisation of particular elements of its multi strand approach,” he told the Deputy, adding:
“Extensive engagement has taken place to identify and negotiate the use of State-owned sites, initially for emergency and tented accommodation and then for longer term solutions.”
In August, information regarding plans to have refugee accommodation at the Thornton Hall site in Meath – which has been at the centre of back-to-back protests – came to light.
As reported by Gript, details of the plans were posted on social media by a number of public representatives at the end of the summer. The 35 acre site, which once had been intended to be used as a prison, is being developed by a “private company called IEMS.”
Speaking today, Minister O’Gorman continued to state that the delivery of prefabricated and modular units on State land “has been prioritised by my Department as a vehicle that can quickly deliver accommodation to national standards.”
He said: “The first project under this programme is the delivery of 40 modular units to replace tents on the site of Columb Barracks in Mullingar. It is currently envisaged that the potential handover of this site will begin in mid-October and will be completed by December.
“Building on this work, a procurement process to form a framework for the delivery of modular prefabricated units on State land has been launched. We have also set out an expression of interest for people who want to sell the State large sites that can also be used for the accommodation of international protection applicants. “
Mr O’Gorman said it involved a “question of meeting an emergency response” through tented accommodation on State-owned lands and “following that up with a conversion of tented accommodation to prefabricated units, as a much more sustainable solution.”
He further said his department would use additional capital funding – from the Department of public expenditure – under the review of the NPD to purchase sites that have been offered on the private market.
Hinting at potential plans to come, he told the Deputy: “There are larger institutional buildings that can be refurbished and used for international protection accommodation as well.”
Responding, Connolly, an Independent, said she thanked the Minister for the clarification, but added: “We have known for a very long time that direct provision does not work. It isolates people, creates a stigma and is inhuman.”
She went on to refer to the High Court’s ruling, in August of this year, that the State had failed in its duty to provide for basic needs, including accommodation for IPAS applicants.
“There are any number of reports and judgments telling us that this system is just wrong,” she said. Asked how such reception centres would be rolled out, or if there was a schedule, Minister O’Gorman responded by confirming that there are, at present, 32,000 people in the international protection system – of which 5,300 have status.
“To respond to Deputy Connolly, the process is to provide a core of 13,000 State-owned beds between now and the end of 2028. That is what is set out in the comprehensive accommodation policy and that will be done through building on State land and purchasing sites. That will bring us to that capacity,” Mr O’Gorman added.
The Minister went on to confirm that 40 tents will arrive at the Thornton Hall site by mid-October, as he referred to “challenges” from protestors.
“I have set out the work we are doing on State land. Part of that State land is the Thornton Hall site. The timeline for the first 40 tents to be on site is mid October. Deadlines have been delayed but the Deputy will know well the range of challenges from a small group, who are not local and I think we share that view, but who have done significant damage through intimidation on this particular site.
“It will initially be tented accommodation but will move to the prefabricated units I referred to in reply to Deputy Connolly’s question. We hope to have approximately 400 international protection applicants on site by year end. I recognise there is a public transport issue and that is something we are working on to provide a clear answer.”