Communication would not have made ‘blind bit of difference’ to those who torched planned homeless shelter - Harris

Better communications would not have made a “blind bit of difference” to the people who “torched” a pub that was to be used as homeless accommodation, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said.

Fire broke out in the vacant Shipwright pub in Ringsend on New Year’s Eve, with gardaí confirming it was the work of arsonists. It had been intended to be used as accommodation for 14 homeless families.

The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) has defended the service after some local politicians said they were not told of the plans to create homeless accommodation at the centre. Fine Gael councillor Danny Byrne was among those to criticise the DRHE, suggesting the attack might not have happened if there had been “clear communication” about the building’s planned use.

His party colleague, Mr Harris, said communication with communities was “extraordinarily important”. However, he said: “I don’t believe that in and of itself would have made a blind bit of difference because the people who torched a building – not prejudicing the investigation – aren’t people who wanted better communication. They’re people who are spreading hatred.

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“These people didn’t want to be briefed on what were the plans. They wanted to cause fear and damage and criminal damage. So I don’t believe, you know, having a public meeting would have changed the motivations of people who torched a building.”

Earlier the director of the DRHE, Mary Hayes, expressed concern over “the criminal element” spreading misinformation and making an already “challenging situation” over homeless accommodation even more difficult. It was important that people using the services of the executive were treated with dignity – they still had to go to work and their children had to go to school, she said, adding that people did not always want it advertised that they were homeless and accessing services.

Ms Hayes said the executive had confirmed to some local politicians before Christmas the Ringsend premises was going to be used as accommodation for homeless families.

Consultation was not a veto, Ms Hayes said. There had been “a mixed bag of responses” in the past when they communicated that a premises was going to be used for homeless accommodation.

Mr Harris also said that arson attacks on vacant buildings intended for immigrant accommodation were happening on an “all too frequent basis”, that gardaí took it “extraordinarily seriously” and there were “ongoing active, serious criminal investigations”.

He added: “What we’re seeing…is extremely worrying at a time of a real shortage of housing supply, where we as a Government, and people on building sites…are working to try and grow supply, we see thugs and criminals torching buildings that could be made available to provide shelter to people.”

He said there were “very significant sentences that can be and should be levelled at anybody who carries out this sort of act”. He added: “They don’t do it in our name. What is the motivation of these people other than to cause fear, terror, panic, divide, reduce the amount of housing supply in the middle of a housing emergency? It needs to be called for what it is.”

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