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Government grapples with crisis in accommodating refugees as deportations resume

Inside Politics: What does it say for Micheál Martin that one of his fiercest critics, Marc MacSharry, is set to return to FF?

Ukrainians are overjoyed after the announcement that they would be allowed stay in Killarney on Wednesday morning. Photograph: Don MacMonagle

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Jennifer Bray
Thu Oct 13 2022 - 07:42

When the Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman takes to his feet this morning in the Dáil at 10.30am for questions on his brief, he will no doubt be quizzed by TDs about the increasingly fraught situation in relation to housing refugees, both from Ukraine and elsewhere.

Just 40 minutes before they were due to be bussed from Killarney to Westport yesterday, 135 Ukrainian refugees found out they could in fact stay.

The reason for the original decision to move them was to make way for almost 200 male asylum seekers who were arriving by bus from the Citywest facility in Dublin.

While an intensive effort took place to find alternative accommodation for the 135 Ukrainian women and children, the Department of Children wasted no time in spelling out the actions that still may need to be taken, including a pause to new arrivals to Citywest.

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“The wider situation in regards to accommodation remains extremely challenging. The transit centre at Citywest is nearing capacity and the possibility of a pause on entry to new arrivals to Citywest due to a nationwide shortage of accommodation cannot be discounted,” the department said.

Ireland is now accommodating 55,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants, compared to 7,500 last year.

What politicians and the public will want to know is, what happens next? If there is a pause to arrivals at Citywest, where will the incoming refugees be housed? Will it be the airport, as happened before?

There were 342 asylum applications last week alone and 1,500 Ukrainians arrived in the same week, over twice the rate recorded during September.

As Harry McGee reports today, transferring Ukrainian refugees from one location to another at relatively short notice might be “unavoidable” this winter.

A spokesman for Mr O’Gorman said the reality was that such situations as happened in Killarney, “may be unavoidable as hotel contracts end and accommodation options becomes tighter”.

The Department of Justice has also confirmed it has resumed deportations after a hiatus of three years during the Covid emergency.

“In addition, regulations will be completed shortly which will allow authorities here to ‘fast-track’ the decision-making process for applicants from ‘safe countries’, shortening it from several years to several months,” Harry reports. Expect to hear much more about this in the coming days.

Return of the Mac

What does it say for Micheál Martin that one of his fiercest critics, Sligo TD Marc MacSharry, is set to return to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party?

On his way out the door a year ago, MacSharry put the boot in and said Martin was running Fianna Fáil as a “one-man show” and that the party was being operated like an “undemocratic, totalitarian regime”.

As Harry reports today, MacSharry is set to be readmitted just one year after he resigned over a motion of confidence in Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.

He resigned in September 2021 when the party refused to have a meeting about Fianna Fáil’s voting intentions on a Sinn Féin motion of no confidence in Mr Coveney, over his role in the appointment of former minister Katherine Zappone to a UN envoy role.

“Mr Martin outlined to a meeting of party TDs and Senators last night that he had spoken to Mr MacSharry and the Deputy had outlined his wish to return to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party,” Harry reports.

The request to readmit him was first made last week by Barry Cowen, and a motion will now be formally tabled by the Chief Whip Jack Chambers at next’s weeks meeting to propose MacSharry’s readmission.

MacSharry has been uncharacteristically quiet in recent days, but anyone can see that Martin’s decision to allow him to return to the fold simply opens him up once again that to the same unbridled criticism of the past. It’s only a few weeks until Martin steps out of the Taoiseach’s office and takes up the role as Tánaiste. It might have been the will of Fianna Fáil to readmit MacSharry, but we would have thought one thing Martin could have done without was yet another critic from within.

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Dáil Éireann

The Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys will take questions on her brief at 9am, followed by questions to Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman at 10.30am. Leaders’ Questions are up at noon with Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Regional Group and Rural Independent Group set to put their questions to Government.

There will be questions on Policy or Legislation just after this, before Government business and legislation is debated in the afternoon. Topical Issues are up at 7pm, and this followed by a Private Members’ Bill from deputies Peadar Tóibín, Dessie Ellis, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire and Pearse Doherty. The TDs are bringing the Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2018 which would allow the people of the Gaeltachta to be able to send their votes to that board.

The Dáil adjourns just after 9pm.

Read the full agenda here.

Seanad

Proceedings in the Seanad kick off at 10.30am with commencement matters followed by Government business at noon. This will see the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 debated. This is the legislation that will ensure households around the country (even holiday homes) get their three instalments of the €200 energy credit.

This is the bulk of the business in the Seanad today.

Committees

At 9.15am, the Joint Committee on Gender Equality continues their series of hearings into the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality. The committee will hear from representatives of Women for Election Representatives, See Her Elected and from UCC’s Dr Fiona Buckley.

At 9.30am, the PAC meetings to discuss financial matters with the Department of Environment as well as looking at the implementation of the National Broadband Plan in the afternoon.

At 9.30am, the Joint Committee on Disability Matters will meet to consider a rights-based approach to disability in mental health. The committee will hear from representatives of the National Platform of Self Advocates and the National Advocacy Service.

At 1pm, the Joint Committee on Agriculture will launch a report on issues impacting dog welfare in Ireland.

Read the full schedule here.