Following his meetings yesterday with Drogheda Councillors and representatives of business organisations, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has thanked both groups for their leadership.
In a statement issued in response to a question from Drogheda Life, the Taoseach’s press office said:
“The Taoiseach, Minister O’Gorman and Minister Humphreys met with TDs, councillors and business representatives in relation to the use of the D Hotel in Drogheda to accommodate International Protection applicants.
“The Taoiseach thanked political representatives for the leadership they have shown locally and for the work they have done to welcome both Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion and those seeking International Protection to date. He recognised the concerns raised and the importance of protecting the work done to develop Drogheda into a destination town both for tourism and business investment.
“It was agreed at the meeting that final clarification would be provided by Minister O’Gorman over the coming days on the possibility of dual use of the hotel, recognising the child protection and practical challenges that exist.
“Another local hotel is currently being used to accommodate Ukrainians. It was also agreed to provide an update on the future use of that hotel and whether it could be reverted back to tourism use, subject to a commercial decision being made by the owner.
“Clarification will also be provided more generally on the legal position regarding changing accommodation used to house Ukrainians to International Protection use.
The Government continues to support all communities to manage what has been an unprecedented “situation with over 130,000 people seeking refuge here over the past couple of years. A revised accommodation strategy for International Protection applicants will be brought to Government shortly.”
See our article from earlier today:
Business and political representatives meet Taoiseach on D Hotel debacle
