Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman has admitted that some international protection applicants could end up sleeping on the streets as the Citywest processing centre in Dublin is at capacity.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr O’Gorman said he “could not rule out” that some people would end up sleeping on the street. Women and children will be prioritised and his department will work with NGOs about supporting other arrivals.
The overnight facility at Dublin Airport will also be used, rather than transfer late night arrivals to Citywest, he said.
Tented accommodation at Gormanston is no longer available, but 300 people remain in “high quality tents” around the country.
Mr O’Gorman said the Ukrainian embassy had been contacted so that people could be advised to stay in other EU states as State accommodation could not be guaranteed.
On Thursday night 881 arrivals were accommodated in Citywest, Mr O'Gorman said. Alternative forms of accommodation were always being sought, he added.
When asked about objections to modular housing in Claremorris, Co Mayo, Mr O’Gorman said such accommodation was being rolled out under emergency legislation which did not require planning.
As the war continued he said it was obvious that medium-term plans were required and the Government was working hard to provide accommodation. He acknowledged that the international protection processing system needed to operate more quickly.
Mr O'Gorman said everyone needed to recognise the new reality as the number of applicants had risen from 3,000 to 15,000 this year. It was going to be challenging to end direct provision within the planned timescale, he said.
Some elements of the system would remain in place, but conditions would be “significantly improved” for people, he added.
The State is now accommodating more than 58,000 refugees or asylum seekers – around 42,000 Ukrainian nationals and 16,000 international protection applicants.
This figure compares with 7,250 at the same time last year.
The Department warned on Thursday night that “access to suitable accommodation is severely constrained”, and said that it had briefed the Ukrainian embassy on developments.
The Government is also considering whether to charge rent to refugees who have been granted full status and who are working full time, if they are still staying in direct provision centres.
'Predictable' situation
Nick Henderson, chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, has called on all Government departments to fulfil their responsibilities for refugees and international protection applicants.
He said it had been “predictable” that accommodation options would run out and that the situation at Citywest would occur. “Something had to give”, he told RTÉ.
Not providing accommodation was a breach of the country’s legal obligations, he said.
Lucky Khambule of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI), said what was happening was simply not good enough. “It’s shocking that people won’t have a place to stay,” he told Newstalk radio.
“We are very concerned with the way that the Government is reacting in terms of this influx of new people that are coming. We would think they would have found a solution with regard to helping people that are new in the country.”
People arriving into the country needed to be treated with dignity and fairly.
While Mr Khambule sympathised with the Government’s predicament, he said “people should not be sleeping at an airport.”
