The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has announced this morning that, from 5th March onwards, the DHotel is to provide 500 beds as emergency accommodation for international protection applicants.
This move has been rumoured for many months but this morning’s announcement came without any public consultation. In a briefing note to Deputies, Senators and Councillors sent at 11.00 this morning the department said:
All relevant State support services in your area have been informed of this and they are preparing what additional supports will be needed to assist these people settle in to the local community. This includes the departments of Health, Education, Justice, HSE, An Garda Síochana, the Local Government Management Agency, the local integration teams and local development office in your area.
Ireland is legally required under EU law to provide accommodation for people seeking international protection here.
As we are sure you are aware, this is a nationwide urgent situation and emergency centres, such as this one have been opened in all parts of the country. All counties in Ireland are providing help and assistance with this. There have been over 190 accommodation locations utilised since January 2022 across 26 counties. These options must be considered to prevent homelessness for people with their families and children arriving seeking international protection.
However, the Deputy Mayor of Drogheda Councillor Kevin Callan, has called for the Government to reverse the decision as a matter of urgency.
He said the announcement, which came without any prior consultation with Louth County Council or the Elected Representatives of the Council to convert the town’s largest hotel into an accommodation centre for international protection applicants will decimate the local economy and will impact on the town in the form of business closures and job losses.
“The facts in this instance are very clear, a deal has been done by the hotel to sign over the accommodation capacity to provide accommodation in the very heart of a historic tourist destination town which has benefitted greatly from having so many visitors to the area and the Boyne Valley who base themselves in the heart of the town.
“This decision taken by the hotel without any notification to the elected representatives of the town or to our County Council officials who have worked so hard to develop tourism and the Boyne Valley initiative in particular is disgraceful and will devastate businesses in the town.
Whilst the decision will no doubt be extremely beneficial to those who own the hotel it will impact on restaurants, cafes, our museum, shops and all associated activity in the town.
“I will be requesting elected members of the Borough District of Drogheda meet as a matter of urgency to discuss approaching the minister responsible to intervene.”
