IRISH REFUGEE ORGANISATIONS have expressed concern about the conditions for international protection applicants staying in tents at Direct Provision centres, especially with mid-winter approaching.
A group of residents staying in tents provided by the State had to be moved out of their accommodation as temperatures plunged in the weeks before Christmas last year.
The Irish Refugee Council, the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland and Doras have insisted the tents are an inadequate form of accommodation that don’t meet people’s basic needs, while a resident in one such centre who spoke to The Journal described conditions as inhumane.
There are currently three campsites at Direct Provision centres hosting roughly 430 people. There is one in Mullingar in Westmeath, one at the site of the former Central Mental Hospital in the south Dublin suburb of Dundrum and another in Knockalisheen, Co Clare.
The arrival of Storm Debi – which swept across the country last week leaving thousands of homes without power and causing structural damage in the West in particular – has prompted fresh criticism of the Government’s policy of housing people in tents.
Met Éireann is also forecasting colder conditions this weekend, with sub-zero temperatures – as low as minus three in some areas – expected overnight on Friday and Saturday.
While the Department of Integration, which manages Direct Provision, insisted contingency plans were put in place in each of its locations ahead of last week’s storm, the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) described the continuing policy around using tents as “fundamentally inappropriate”.
In a statement provided to The Journal yesterday, the Department said the tents being used are designed to withstand severe weather.
“The tented structures being used are designed to cope with severe weather, including high winds and heavy rain.
“The Department is always cognisant of the safety and security of residents, and routinely monitors weather conditions that may affect those who are temporarily residing in tented structures.”
The Government began using tents as a form of accommodation in the summer of 2022 and has stressed that such campsites are a temporary measure – but with the asylum system under immense strain, the use of tents has continued.
Speaking on Budget Day in September, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman said that tents were likely to be used through the winter, saying: “It is possible going forward, yes.”
O’Gorman said that it was likely that tented accommodation would continue to be part of the state’s response.
Asked by The Journal if the Department had an estimate of how many people will be accommodated in tents going forward and for how long, he responded: “We don’t have an estimate on that. I’ve been very clear, I want to have the minimum number in tents as possible and I’d like that number to be zero.”
The Department said this month that it was dealing with a “significant increase” in the number of people arriving seeking refuge.
“In the last number of years, there has been a significant increase of people seeking refuge in Ireland,” a statement said.
There are now over 100,000 people being accommodated between those fleeing Ukraine and international protection applicants, it said.
“This compares with 8,575 at the end of February 2022.”
It said that as a result of the increase the International Protection Procurement Service (IPAS) has had to consider all offers of accommodation “including, decommissioned Defence Forces barracks and tents to try to address shortfalls in reception capacity”.
People staying in the tents have complained of cold, crowded conditions with no privacy, and an inability to get proper sleep.
The Irish Refugee Council (IRC), a registered charity, told The Journal this week that its staff had spoken to residents of the Columb Barracks centre, in Co Westmeath, during the summer and visited the Central Mental Hospital site earlier this month.
“We have grave concerns about people living in tents as the weather gets colder,” the IRC spokesperson said.
“Residents we spoke to complained of the cold at night and said that the tents were crowded, cold and very noisy at night when windy. Residents reported having limited heaters and uncomfortable cot beds, making it very difficult to sleep.”
The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI), an organisation that describes itself as “a platform for asylum seekers to join together in unity and purpose”, told The Journal that it had also heard similar complaints from people in the campsites.
MASI’s spokesperson said they are “concerned about the continued use of tents to accommodate people who arrived in Ireland seeking protection from persecution”.
“When the first group of people were placed in tents last year, MASI expressed concern that this supposed temporary measure could become the norm just like Direct Provision was introduced as a temporary measure.”
MASI’s statement acknowledged the right of the state to use emergency accommodation as a temporary measure but stressed that such accommodation must uphold people’s basic rights.
The statement added that the war in Ukraine should not be seen as the original cause for the use of emergency accommodation as it was already in use in the form of hotels and guesthouses as early as 2018.
John Lannon of Doras, a non-profit human rights NGO, described the conditions in the tents at Knockalisheen in Clare as “cold and damp”.
“We have said all along that nobody should be accommodated in tents unless it’s absolutely necessary, and if it does happen, it should be a short-term measure in exceptional circumstances.
“The tents in Knockalisheen in Co Clare are cold and damp, there is no privacy or personal space. People have to go outside to go to the toilet and overall, it’s really quite unreasonable to put people in those conditions, especially people who have health or other vulnerabilities.”
Last winter proved a difficult time for those in tents in Knockalisheen, he said. Some residents were moved from the tented accommodation amid cold conditions in December and there were assurances from the department in January that tents would not remain in use there.
Lannon added: “We have to ask – is the Department going to wait until temperatures reach minus five again before moving people out?”
Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe told The Journal he believes it is inhumane for people to be living in tents during the winter but that it is wrong at any time of year.
“The spotlight is only ever put on tented accommodation when we get particularly cold weather or a storm, but this is substandard every other day of the year.
“I don’t think the tents should have been put in in the first place and they shouldn’t be there now. I think this is wrong any month of the year.”
Green Party Councillor Daniel Dunne, who represents Dundrum, said that he is “very unhappy” with the lack of information coming from the Department and the local council about the site in the Central Mental Hospital.
As well as looking for information about the centre, Dunne has also asked about visiting the campsite.
“As elected people, we obviously want to ensure that there’s oversight in terms of the conditions of inhabitants. The main thing is that we want to be supportive and to help the community be supportive.”
People staying in tents on the grounds of Columb Barracks in Mullingar have decried the conditions of the camp and say they have been there much longer than they were told to expect.
Chief among the complaints made by those staying on the barracks grounds is the delay in being moved on to more suitable accommodation.
The barracks grounds have been used to house international protection applicants since March.
One resident of the camp, who wished to remain anonymous and said he spoke on behalf of many of those staying in the tents, told The Journal that they were informed they would be staying until August, having arrived in June. Months later, they remain in the campsite.
There are currently 128 men staying in the centre, according to the Department.
Having been transferred from Dublin to Mullingar in June, the resident of the campsite said he and the group he arrived with were surprised to find themselves in tents in an abandoned military barracks.
He described the conditions as inhumane and said they had become worse as winter set in. Many of the residents were finding it difficult to cope with the conditions, he said.
In October more than 40 of the people in the tents at Columb Barracks sent a petition to IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Service) outlining their concerns and requesting an immediate transfer to more suitable accommodation.
The petition made particular reference to sleeplessness resulting from staying in tented accommodation and what they see as unprofessional treatment by the centre’s staff.
The petition claimed that some staff at the centre held a “dismissive attitude towards residents” that the signatories deemed “completely unacceptable.”
In its statement provided to The Journal yesterday, the Department of Integration said that the accommodation facilities for single men are at full capacity and that its staff have been in contact with management at Columb Barracks.
“On foot of issues raised by residents, IPAS has been liaising with the (Mullingar) Centre Management in relation to addressing the concerns raised and measures have been taken to mitigate some of the issues,” the statement said.
“IPAS centres, particularly for provision of accommodation to single adult males are operating at full capacity across the accommodation system. IPAS also endeavours to offer alternative accommodation to those who have been resident in tented accommodation, as and when it becomes available.”
After their recent visit to the centre in Dundrum, the IRC wrote to the Department on 7 November relaying their concerns about the conditions there. The IRC said it has yet to receive a response to that letter.
The IRC also made recommendations on the use of tents in general.
“If tents must be used, we recommended that residents spend the shortest time possible in them before being prioritised for transfers to appropriate accommodation,” the letter said.
“There must be adequate transport links to ensure residents have access to medical and other support services and, where relevant, employment. Also, that there is sufficient heating, that residents be provided with cleaning supplies to clean tents and that ‘cot’-style beds are replaced.
“Finally, we recommended that trained staff from IPAS are onsite regularly to support management and to ensure a standard of care. We also restated our insistence that an independent monitoring body be tasked with inspecting all services and locations that currently accommodate people seeking protection, including temporary emergency settings.”
MASI called on the Government to address the housing needs of international protection applicants and “ensure that such accommodation protects their fundamental human rights.”
The issues of cold and damp tents, sleeplessness, cramped conditions, lack of privacy, conduct of staff and delays in transfers were all put to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Where the Department responded directly to specific concerns, those sections of the statement have already been included in this article. The statement also added that IPAS is “always available to deal with any complaints from international protection applicants” and that the Jesuit Refugee Service operates a confidential helpline in case a resident does not feel comfortable contacting the Department directly.
“All International Protection Applicants have access to the services of the Ombudsman and Office of the Ombudsman for Children, should they consider that their complaint has not been managed appropriately,” the Department said.
With reporting from Diarmuid Pepper
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