The UK Government has refrained from opposing a motion in the House of Commons, which stated that its inability to provide adequate facilities for international protection applicants was illegal. Integration Secretary, Roderic O’Gorman, admitted to the House on Thursday that they were neglecting the basic needs of these individuals.
O’Gorman dismissed the idea that relocating asylum seekers from a camp at Mount Street in the heart of Dublin to Crooksling in Dublin County over the past weekend had any connection with St. Patrick’s Day. He also cleared up “widespread disinformation” regarding the Crooksling location that had been circulated on the internet. The Greens MP stated that while the facilities at Crooksling are sparse, they are an upgrade from the untenable situation at Mount Street.
In acknowledgment of the criticisms, O’Gorman admitted that they were failing to fulfill the essential needs of those who arrived in Ireland for asylum. His statement was made in response to a motion by the Social Democrats calling for the Government to admit that their inability to provide proper reception conditions for international asylum seekers was unlawful.
Social Democrats MP, Jennifer Whitmore, described the scene where countless asylum seekers slept on the streets outside the Dublin International Protection Office as a “bleak portrayal of the current state of the nation”. She was gratified to see that her party’s motion was not contested by the Government, who essentially conceded to their unlawful treatment of these individuals.
Furthermore, O’Gorman recognized an escalation in the difficulties faced by the state in making accommodations for refugees from Ukraine and the increasing number of individuals applying for international protection. As of January and February this year, the figures for monthly international protection applications were the highest ever seen. He noted that the number of individuals now seeking international protection within six weeks equals the number of applicants in one year before the pandemic.
Mr O’Gorman mentioned his plans to introduce a fresh approach to housing, scheduled to be presented to the Cabinet the following week. This strategy aims to utilise the extra assets owned by the State to regain control of the situation. The intention is to direct focus away from the existing dependency on private facilitators, and ensure availability of State-owned accommodation instead.
The Minister admitted the formulation of the policy took longer than initially anticipated. Yet, he remained confident that it would help navigate them out of the prevailing unsatisfactory conditions.
Furthermore, he expressed his disagreement with the notion that the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) system possesses a suitable quantity of beds. He cited that between 450 and 500 individuals are applying for international protection on a weekly basis, denoting a discrepancy between supply and demand.