Inch

May 16, 2023

Minister of State at the Department of Integration Joe O’Brien said there has been “some confusion” and the asylum-seekers are not in Magowna House in Inch and are currently being housed in three holiday homes. The Irish Examiner understands the hotel will be used to accommodate asylum-seekers once a fire cert and sewage issues are sorted. Mr O'Brien said he believed the blockade had occurred as a result of a misunderstanding and has asked the up to 50 local people blocking the road to “step down the blockade”. He said the Government was waiting for a fire cert for the hotel which was being “worked on”. The holiday homes are “safe and suitable”, Mr O’Brien told RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne. Magowna House hotel in Inch, Co Clare. Picture: Liam Burke/Press 22 He said as part of the arrangement to accommodate the asylum-seekers in the homes, transport was part of the deal as well. There will be a shuttle bus to and from Ennis every day. Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said the Government and local authorities will be engaging with the local community in Co Clare to "ease" any concerns they may have over the housing of asylum-seekers. Speaking as he arrived for a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Mr Martin said: "I would ask that that level of engagement and cooperation will take place and that there is no need for the blockades. I think dignity and the human being always has to be centre in our minds when situations like this arise. "We have to work hard on the communication side of it, in terms of engagement and in terms of clarifying and dealing with any issues or concerns that people may have," he said. Locals became aware that Magowna House was likely to be used as an emergency accommodation centre and a public meeting was held in nearby Kilmaley last week where there was clear opposition to the move. It comes as Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman and Justice Minister Simon Harris will meet with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris this week following violent scenes at a protest on Sandwith Street in Dublin, where asylum-seekers’ belongings were set on fire. Meanwhile, four large sites are due to come on stream in two weeks’ time, including repurposed office buildings. Three units in Dublin and one in Clare are expected to significantly reduce the number of international protection (IP) applicants that have not been offered State accommodation. As reported in the Irish Examiner on Monday, the Government is also considering sheltering refugees by procuring barges which can offer “floating accommodation” . Officials are now examining what the British government has done in Dorset, in which it has used a three-story barge to house hundreds of asylum-seekers. A spokesperson for the department confirmed they are considering using 'floatels' to help with the “severe accommodation shortage.” The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) has “explored options” for “floating accommodation” by engaging with other jurisdictions to understand their experiences, a spokesperson said. There is consultation with various stakeholders including the Maritime Unit at the Department of Transport. “It continues to evaluate and progress the potential use of ‘floating’ accommodation such as cruise ships and floatels, to accommodate international protection applicants,” they added. “It is not possible to comment on specific proposals at this point.” Read More