The numbers seeking international protection may have fallen marginally but, in a system that’s already overwhelmed, that makes little difference.
As we report this morning, the Government is scrambling to find shelter for 520 asylum seekers who have no accommodation and are forced to live on the streets of Dublin.
For them, living in tents adds the jeopardy that they are vulnerable to attack. A number of disquieting and unsavoury incidents over the weekend showed that small organised groups can foment tension and hostility towards migrants and also showed that the threat of an escalation of violence is never too far away.
There was a tense standoff between pro-migrant and anti-migrant groups in Sandwith Street in Dublin’s inner city on Friday night. The Garda Public Order Unit was called in to ensure there was no violence at the flashpoint, an entrance to a migrant encampment in an abandoned alleyway. I was there for most of the event and – despite the ratcheting-up of the rhetoric – it passed off peacefully. However, once the gardaí had moved both groups on, somebody went in and set the encampment on fire.
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On Saturday, there were scuffles and fraught scenes at another encampment on nearby Mount Street, with some anti-migrant protesters jostling with gardaí. There is no doubt that the protests include members of right-wing anti-immigrant groups, intent on pumping up the tension.
The issue of asylum and asylum seekers will dominate the political agenda for much of the week. Our main report this morning also suggests some fatigue within the public service in the response to the ongoing fallout from the war in Ukraine.
We report that the Department of Integration privately warned that officials were seeing a “growing reluctance” from some local authorities to accommodate more Ukrainian refugees in their areas due to pressure on services, according to an internal briefing.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman has said it is hoped many of the asylum seekers currently homeless will be offered accommodation this week.
Mr O’Gorman and Minister for Justice Simon Harris are meeting senior Garda management this week, to discuss the role of right-wing elements in organising recent protests and to examine the wider question of Garda resources to deal with protests that spill over into violence.
In advance of that, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and other leading politicians condemned the violence and nastiness of the weekend. Mr Varadkar claimed there were not enough gardaí in Dublin. Later, Mr Harris varied that line a little, saying that the Garda Commissioner is satisfied that he has sufficient operational capacity to deal with these situations.
Meanwhile, the idea was floated of floating hotels – berthed cruise ships repurposed to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees. These have been used elsewhere, most notably in Scotland, where 2,800 refugees were placed in two large ships. The Department of Integration has said it is early days when it comes to conversation on this. It’s not easy to source such ships and then prepare them as accommodation centres. Plus, they tend to cost a lot of money.
High-level changes
Jennifer Bray has got the inside track on a report that recommends high-level structural changes in the Defence Forces.
The report looks set to be approved by Cabinet at its weekly meeting this morning. Among the key recommendations are an expansion of the reserve forces (including being available to play a part in overseas missions); a new post of Chief of Defence to replace the current role of Chief of Staff; and the creation of a raft of other senior roles to modernise its structures.
Is Matt Barrett the equivalent of the over-involved husband in the hit series The Diplomat? Yesterday he made an apology for some Instagram posts published during the coronation of King Charles, which he attended with his partner, Mr Varadkar.
There was a ban on social media posts during the ceremonies and Mr Barrett should perhaps have abided by that. There was mixed reaction here, with some criticism. But it was muted, which you’d expect in a Republic, compared to the stuff in UK papers, including the Mail and the Telegraph.
Ronan McGreevy reports on the apology and also on the (over the top) outrage of the British media to the posts.
Hands up. I must say one of his posts made me laugh. He described how one clergyman had the title Clerk of the Closet. “Clerk of the Closet?” Dr Barrett mused. “Had this job until my early 20s.”
As a point of fact, Miriam Lord first spotted the posts, and wrote about them in her column.
Taoiseach in Iceland
Mr Varadkar is travelling to Reykjavík, Iceland, today to attend a Council of Europe Summit. Even though the council has been in existence since the end of the second World War, this is only the third time it is meeting at summit level.
That, Mr Varadkar has argued, shows the significance of the meeting this week.
“Europe’s leaders believe in freedom and democracy, the rule of law and the UN Charter. We stand united against the war in Ukraine and with them in the fight to preserve their independence and democracy,” said Mr Varadkar.
Leaders hope to establish a “register of damage” to Ukraine. They say it is an important step in ensuring Russia is held responsible for the harm it has inflicted on the people of Ukraine.
Best reads
Fintan O’Toole writes that if we follow the money, the destination is a united Ireland, but qualifies it by arguing the economic arguments are not the only ones that sway people in a functioning democracy.
Freya Mc Clements previews the Northern Ireland local electorate, which she says will likely be a vote on the limbo status of the institutions.
An unusual riposte to Paddy Cosgrave’s complaint about his claim that Micheál Martin abused Dáil privilege. Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne has complained to the political standards watchdog about €1 million in funding for the Ditch website by Web Summit, the company led by businessman Paddy Cosgrave.
Mr Byrne has written to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) alleging that the website is a “political platform that comes within the definition of a ‘third party’ under the Electoral Acts”.
In his complaint, Mr Byrne argues that funding of the Ditch by Web Summit, or Mr Cosgrave, is “far in excess of those permitted under the Acts”. He is basing his complaint on comments Mr Cosgrave made during an interview on RTÉ at the weekend, which Mr Byrne claims indicates that “the purpose of Web Summit’s donation to the Ditch is a political one”.
Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn have all the details.
Playbook
The weekly Cabinet meeting will take place this morning.
Dáil
14:00: Minute’s silence for An Gorta Mór Victims and Exiles.
14:01: Leaders’ Questions.
14:35: Order of Business.
15:06: Parliamentary Questions to Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin.
16:36: Private Members’ business (Sinn Féin): Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023
18:36: Parliamentary Questions to Minister for Education Norma Foley.
20:06: Topical Issues.
20:54: Dáil adjourns.
Seanad
13:00: Commencement Matters.
15:15: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022, Committee Stage. Department of Children.
18:30: Private Members’ business: Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023.
20:30: Seanad adjourns.
Committees
10:45: Environment and climate action
Engagement on renewable energy and port capacity.
The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will hear from representatives of the Port of Cork, Shannon Foynes Port Company and Rosslare Europort.
11:00: Education
Pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the of the Research and Innovation Bill, 2023 (Irish Research Council (IRC); Science Foundation Ireland (SFI); Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS).
Prof Cormac Taylor, professor of cellular physiology, Conway Institute, University College Dublin (UCD); Prof Helen Kelly-Holmes, professor of applied languages, School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics, University of Limerick: Prof Jim Livesey, VP research and innovation, University of Galway.
15:00: Housing and local government
Pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the (Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones) Bill 2022.
- Representatives from Irish Planning Institute (IPI).
15:00: Foreign affairs
Disinformation and hybrid threats including from the context of geopolitical shifts.
- Dr Eileen Culloty, assistant professor, DCU School of Communications, Deputy Director DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy, and Society
- Ms Caitríona Heinl, executive director, Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy & Adjunct Research Fellow, UCD
- Dr Brigid Laffan, professor emeritus European University Institute (EUI) and president European Policy Centre, Brussels.
