THREE AND A half hours were set aside in the Dáil today by Government for TDs to discuss the coordination of services for international protection seekers in Ireland. 

During the discussion, Minister for Equality and Integration Roderic O’Gorman said the Government recognises that there is a need for substantial reform to Ireland’s international protection (IP) system. 

“I am not comfortable we have to contract the last operating hotel in a town or village in order to ensure women and children don’t go homeless,” the Minister said.

“I am not comfortable with the situation right now where there are over 700 individuals we are not in a position to accommodate.

“We need to have a system where the state holds the reins, a fair accommodation system,” he said. 

In particular, he stressed the need for a state-owned accommodation model and acknowledged that the state is “too reliant” on private sector accommodation providers.

O’Gorman noted that the current system was designed for a different era with lower arrivals and made the point that since the invasion of Ukraine we have seen the largest movement of people across the European continent since World War II.

“The unprecedented scale of the challenge the state has faced in the last two years has exacerbated the flaws in our model that was already in need of reform to meet the needs of 21st century migration, even before the war in Ukraine,” he said. 

O’Gorman said although 2022 and 2023 saw a big increase in the numbers of people seeking international protection, the numbers are still in line with the European per capita average. 

O’Gorman noted that efforts are being made to speed up the amount of time it takes for an IP application to be decided on, including the hiring of additional staff in the IPO. 

He noted that last November the number of IP applications decided on by the IPO was over 1,000 compared to just 281 a year prior.

A plan will be brought to Cabinet by O’Gorman on reforming how the state provides accommodation to international protection seekers in the coming weeks. 

Safe Countries 

As part of the Government’s efforts to speed up the asylum application process, Algeria and Botswana are to be added to the list of ‘safe countries’ from tomorrow.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the move is not meant to deter genuine asylum applicants.

McEntee said that the change was to make the international protection process more efficient and to deter people from using Ireland’s asylum system as a route for economic migration.

She said there had been a “sharp increase” in the number of people coming to Ireland from Algeria and said that four out of 10 people who apply for international protection in Ireland are successful.

“The point of this is to make sure that if you’re using the international protection system for economic purposes, you’re not going to be successful,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy said that Ireland needs a migration system that is well managed as well as “fair, effective and enforced”.

Carthy also reiterated the need for community engagement where new asylum seeker accommodation is developed.

He added: “That is Sinn Fein’s objective – not open borders, as some try to portray, and the problem is that Government’s approach is not seen as well managed or fair or efficient, or effective.

“That is particularly the case with international protection emergency accommodation.

If Government were purposely setting out to antagonise local communities, they couldn’t have done a better job.

“Communities wake up to find that a local hotel or pub or nursing home or other business has been turned into emergency accommodation.

“There’s no discussion, no engagement, no appraisal whatsoever as to the impact on a community losing out on that business. There’s no interaction with schools, with GPs or other service providers.”

Carthy added: “The only consideration is the availability of a building and that’s unfair. It’s unfair on those who are to be accommodated, and it’s unfair on local communities, and the only winners are those private operators that are making huge sums of money.”

Meanwhile, Independent TD for Galway, Catherine Connolly said she “deplores” the language being used in relation to international protection seekers.

“I do share the concerns in relation to the problems experienced by communities in terms of hotels being taken and services, but instead of turning on vulnerable people – asylum seekers are the most vulnerable people who are fleeing persecution and fleeing violations of human rights – to equate that with dangerous people is most unacceptable,” she said.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor said a national communication campaign is needed “urgently” to inform the public about the asylum seeking process. 

“We have failed to communicate with members of the public,” O’Connor said. 

He said members of the public that he speaks to on a daily basis have very little information about the steps taken by Government when it comes to “vetting” of asylum seekers.

O’Connor added that there is a failure within public discourse to differentiate between those with legitimate concerns and those with “very malicious intent”. 

Labour TD, Duncan Smith said it is often overlooked that the “overwhelming majority” of communities are welcoming of asylum seekers.

“The scenes we saw recently in Roscrea and East Wall are very much in the minority,” Smith said, referring to recent protests outside IP accommodation. 

Smith also highlighted the arson attacks on IP accommodation and said these fires represent a real threat to the safety of those seeking international protection. 

“It’s not some imaginary or hypothetical threat posed by migrants, this is a real threat that will end up causing death,” he said. 

With reporting from Press Association.