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LAST UPDATE | 21 Mar 2019
THE PLAN TO open a Direct Provision centre at a disused hotel in Rooskey, Co Leitrim, has been scrapped.
The Department of Justice said the decision is due to a leasing issue and not related to suspected arson attacks at the former hotel.
A spokesperson confirmed the decision and said the department “regrets that it is not in a position to proceed with plans to open an accommodation centre in the Shannon Key West Hotel”.
They said the decision was taken following legal advice sought from the Chief State Solicitor’s Office which “found difficulties with the lease agreement between the owners of the hotel, and the operator renting it, which made proceeding with the proposed centre unviable”.
The spokesperson said the department is “not party to these lease arrangements and these matters are outside our control”.
They added that the department remains “committed to sourcing suitable premises to meet the accommodation needs of people in the international protection process”.
A regional procurement process for new centres to house asylum seekers is currently under way and will continue throughout the year. Concerns have been raised about the rural location, and related lack of services, of some current and planned DP centres.
Suspected arson attacks
The former hotel in Rooskey was subjected to two suspected arson attacks in January and February.
The site of another planned DP centre, in Moville in Co Donegal, was also subjected to a suspected arson attack in November.
Both centres were due to open in January but the process was delayed after the fires.
The department’s spokesperson said the decision not to proceed with the Rooskey centre was taken “solely in relation to the difficulties with the lease”.
However, Leitrim And Roscommon United Against Racism believes the suspected arson attacks are linked to the move.
In a statement released today, the group said: “Nobody apart from the government thought it was a good idea to house 80 asylum seekers in Rooskey.
However is regretful that the government appear to have backed down in the face of racist arson attacks and a vocal hard-right minority in this area. This will be portrayed by the far-right minority in our communities as a victory for them.
The group said the legal issues surrounding the use of the former hotel as a DP centre “should have been tested fully in court”.
The statement added that today’s announcement “may very well have a negative impact on the ability of the State to house asylum seekers elsewhere”.
Almost 6,300 people live in 38 Direct Provision centres across Ireland, most of which are privately run.
As of this month, 729 individuals have been granted protection status or permission to remain in Ireland – 206 people have refugee status; 441 people have permission-to-remain status and 82 people have subsidiary protection status.
Close to 450 people have been living in DP centres for over five years as they await a decision on their status or subsequent appeals.
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These people really are delusional.
Shatter should quit while he’s behind, ride off into the distance…
And fall off the edge of the world lol.
Surely he’s toxic at this stage. He refuses to accept a legal judgement that he did wrong. But to be honest it doesn’t matter who’s put forward for the election because the entire FG party is becoming a toxic brand with their arrogance at this stage.
Labours Alex White will be slaughtered. Shatter wouldn’t make it and FG know it. New faces needed to hide the past..
At this stage it’s just scandal after scandal; there’s too much to hide.
It will be an electoral bloodbath for FG, Labour (and hopefully FF ) in the next election.
They must know it, but the prize… Brown envelopes and excellent pensions (plural. It’s illegal for the average citizen to have more than one state pension) are just too great.
Stick to writing fist fodder mr shatter.
Reputation,What a F’ing Joke
Surely FG aren’t going to stand behind Shatter after firing him not to mention ……………
Seriously if Shatter is returned as a TD in the next election it just means this country is truly wrecked….
Michal Lowry?
wipe them out in GE.traitors.
Alex white is gone for sure. Fg may get one seat and Shane Ross will definitely take a seat. No idea who will win the 3rd seat but lets hope its not ff.
“When he entered her, he knew it was her first time.”
Just use this as your campaign motto Alan.
I will vote for Shane Ross and any other independent in South Dublin no FG / FF / or Lab thank you,and i hope many people will do the same, we can’t let these lying incapable people to continue ruining the Country.
Shane Ross who endorsed enda kenny for taoiseach post election? The spindo writer? nah ill give him a miss. also pro lifer Peter Matthews won’t be getting my vote
Yes, but your 2nd preference will be important as he’ll have a surplus
Shane Ross is a spoofologist… What has he actually done?
Please yourself Kevin
Thankfully Fine Gael are thinking of the real people , the backbone of our society struggling to exist.
meanwhile the rest of us are thinking of the homeless, paying our bills etc
Thankfully Fine Gael will give the rich the tax reliefs they deserve, instead of providing shelter to the homeless
How is it an “exclusive”interview with him when it’s his newsletter. Arrogance,living in a bubble.
Shatter. A Piosa Cac.
“THE EGOOOO HAS LLLLAAAANNNNNNDDDDDED”
For Cononley….. Can I just say, I voted for these clowns in power this time round..(stupid me) i don’t comment much, but by the carry on of our government and their minions I will be voting… Let’s say ‘different’ this time…
I’d move to South County Dublin just so I could vote for someone other than Shatter or Mitchell.
Ha ha, his party is the least of his problems if he’s trying to be reelected, it’s the public votes he needs not backing from the rest of the gibbons.
Olivia Mitchell is the spit of Peter O’Toole.
Just sayin’
If yea want this lot out fg ff labour just remember not to give them your second third and so on that how these f. Ck get in
I’ll be voting backwards, start with my least favourite and work up to my No1. Currently last will be FG followed by LAB and then FF, so none of them will get my transfers.
why not just vote for your choice and leave it at that. I give no transfers to people I despise.
what if some FG lackey ticks the box in the counting booth. best to leave them where they belong at the bottom
I wish paddy power did bets on guess the Hugh o connell headline, garuntee now he went do one on all other dublin rathdown candidates
Oh I see he gave the establishment a paragraph each and the others a sentence. I suppose they should be content with the sentence.
It’s time to let things go!
He was good minister had some ideas to reform the legal system. Vested interests got him out and has become a hate figure for the media
All the reform ideas buried now by new minister sadly
Think he will re re-elected
Hello Alan.
+1
Alan you broke the law as a justice minister. nothing more ironic
Alan very poor attempt at ghost writing!
please note my +1 was for the comment that shatter was an exceptional minister.
Rumour has it, He is getting a deal Like Calvin Klein,
But somehow i don`t think “Shatter Underpants” will be a very big seller….
He needs material for a new book, The Shatter Bible?
Nelson says Ha Ha
Olivia’s at the top of my poll.
Dancing or swinging?
She was bouncing until someone said she looks like Peter O’Toole.
What Shatter needs to do is some kind of Star Trek mock up, I bet no one’s done that before and people would thing it was brilliant.
Was reading shatter’s exclusive interview :P from the image and noticed talk of property inheritance tax.
Are there any political individuals or parties looking to remove property tax and inheritance tax? I just think that people have paid some form of vat on their houses already and paye on any cash lumpsum they leave in their will already then to be taxed a 2nd or 3rd time on the same capital? Sorry for going slightly off topic here but the only asset I have in my life in ireland is my car (grateful to have it) but seems even with a good IT job, owning any reasonable property that’s in a reasonable area just seems impossible. Then if I do manage to squirrel enough away to get a home of my own, if I were to die noonan gets another slice of the action?
Im 27 years old, a home bird here in cork, but the more I read news articles online about ireland I do get very worried that I’ll be priced out of the place I grew up in. Would living in germany or spain be any better though?
Hopefully Neale will get nominated!
Wow, Journal has a lot of red thumbing Shatter fans…
I blame Laura, she was red thumbed as well lol.
Snap Election.
I love Alan Shatter
That’s a rare complaint, give…ehhh.. Alan a shout and start a self help group.
Are you gay Karl
Wow a flyer titled Alan Shatter newsletter has an ‘Exclusive’ interview with Alan Shatter. What are the odds.
Is this the reason for the previous article by Hugh about Shatter last week (Reasons why Shatter is not like other TD.s’)?
have your say