President Michael D Higgins has dismissed the notion that escalating issues of homelessness and housing in Ireland are related to increasing immigration. His comments come in response to remarks made by Taoiseach Simon Harris implying that immigration is impacting the number of people without homes.
During his speech at a United Nations Summit of the Future in New York, Mr Higgins disagreed with Mr Harris’s claim that immigration and the rising homelessness issue are interconnected. Speaking to a Sunday newspaper, Mr Harris had suggested that a significant influx of individuals into the country is contributing to the crisis.
Mr Harris conveyed to the Sunday Times that the homelessness figures are substantially affected by numerous individuals coming to Ireland in search of protection and hoping for a better life. He acknowledged the many advantages of immigration but highlighted the challenges it brings.
However, when questioned about Mr Harris’s statement, Mr Higgins denied any correlation between the crisis and immigration. He stated his firm belief that addressing the housing issue solely on market responses has resulted in limited and damaging effects.
In his view, it is unthinkable for the State to possess land and have a history of training construction workers, whilst also welcoming foreign workers for other roles, without directly constructing houses. He asserted his lack of responsibility for housing policy but vowed to continue championing his stance more forcefully.
Opposition parties also took issue with the Taoiseach’s remarks. Gary Gannon, a Social Democrats TD, requested that Mr Harris clarify his comments and rectify the public record.
The Taoiseach is allowed his own perspective, yet he has no right to misinterpret reality. The reality is that individuals pursuing international protection are not included in the monthly statistics of homeless people. Only those in emergency accommodation are reflected in those numbers. According to recent data, homelessness affects over 14,400 individuals.
When queried about his view on the Government’s response to the housing crisis, Mr Higgins chose to not comment on any specific government. However, he admitted without hesitation when suggested that having thousands of homeless families depicted a gross failure, that on closer inspection, it had shortcomings in numerous aspects. The planning has been catastrophic with a glaring lack of planning officers working within local councils.
Mr Higgins also voiced that certain state housing strategies were developed to entice the market.
Moreover, it was shared by Mr Higgins that he suspects Israel of leaking a congratulatory letter he penned to the recently elected president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. The letter, which was initially shared on social media, had attracted adverse reactions from some politicians as it championed the belief that stability, co-operation, and peaceful dispute resolution is of utmost significance across the entire Middle East.
Mr Higgins, during his Sunday address, revealed that the letter was a routine one he often writes to state leaders and emphasised in it the prominence of peace in the area and the essential need for the reinstatement of diplomacy in order to resolve lingering disputes.
In response to how the letter was leaked, he pointed towards the Israeli embassy, while admitting he was clueless as to how the leak occurred. The Israeli embassy is yet to respond to these allegations.