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Terse exchanges point to corrosive impact of migrant crisis on Coalition

Inside Politics: Political importance of issue waxes and wanes, but recent protests have reignited simmering tensions

An encampment of tents used by homeless asylum seekers in Dublin. Photograph: Conor Ó Mearáin/Collins Photo Agency

Jack Horgan-Jones's face
Jack Horgan-Jones
Wed May 17 2023 - 07:53

One of the main threads to the political side of the migration crisis has been the workload of Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman. It is rarely acknowledged publicly, and often only passingly in private, but there are many in Government who feel he and his department have been overburdened. Equally, there are others who think this is overplayed for political purposes by the Green Party. This tension broke through to the surface at Cabinet yesterday, according to several sources with knowledge of discussions, leading to terse exchanges between Mr O’Gorman and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien.

Our full write-up of the meeting and the current state of play on refugee accommodation and associated protests is here.

It’s not a Coalition-threatening row, but as pressure builds again over migration and accommodation, pointed exchanges at the top of Government hint at the corrosive impact of the long-running nature of the crisis. The political importance of the issue waxes and wanes, but recent protests have reignited simmering tensions over the long-term approach to what, it should be recalled, is the most dramatic migration crisis the State has faced.

Read Political Editor Pat Leahy’s take on the spoken and unspoken elements of Ireland’s migration policy here.

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Off the beaten political track, a rare moment of bipartisan unity will be on display in the Seanad this afternoon over a motion on disregarding the criminal records of men convicted while sex between men was against the law.

The Government took a decision not to oppose the motion yesterday – but time may be running out for the Coalition to bring forward legislation on the matter, which has been in the offing since a public apology in 2018. Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield points out that while an expert group report on the matter is due, the Government will be up against it if it is going to draft and pass legislation in the lifetime of the Coalition. Some 30 years since the law was changed, time is of the essence for the roughly 1,000 men still carrying convictions.

Far from these shores, Political Correspondent Jennifer Bray is in Iceland for the aforementioned EU Summit. Her copy from Tuesday can be found here and here – more to follow through the day today.

Best reads

Michael McDowell on the alcohol labelling controversy here.

Matthew O’Toole, the SDLP MLA, on the North’s local elections.

And Alex Kane on the same topic.

Nappy wipes and the Full Monaghan. Miriam Lord’s political sketch is here.

Playbook

Action in the Dáil starts at 10am, with a Private Members’ motion from the Independent Group on Targeted Investment in the Health Service, followed by Leaders’ Questions at midday. Government statements on the CSO sexual violence survey 2022 are shortly after 2pm. There is a voting block in the evening, as usual, before the Dáil adjourns at 9.30pm.

The detailed Dáil schedule is here.

In the Seanad, the order of business is at 11.30am, and the committee and remaining stages of the Courts Bill (which increases the number judges in a number of courts) is at 12.45pm, before the report and final stages of legislation amending lobbying laws will be taken at 1.15pm. Sinn Féin Senators will move the above-mentioned motion on historic convictions at 3pm, before the report and final stage of the judicial appointments commission Bill at 5pm. The Seanad adjourns at 7pm.

Find the full Seanad schedule here.

Over at the committees, Eamon Ryan is in with the transport committee to discuss sectoral emissions ceilings for transport at 1.30pm. The finance committee is having a “discussion” on cryptocurrencies at the same time. In the evening, the agriculture committee is hearing from a variety of farming groups on revitalising derelict and vacant houses on farmland.

The full schedule is here.