Anger over policy on housing refugees in Roscrea and Borrisokane

The manner in which the Department of Integration has treated both immigrants and communities in Borrisokane and Roscrea was criticised by elected members of Tipperary County Council at their March meeting in Nenagh.

Present at the meeting to give a presentation was Eibhlin Byrne, the head of a team set up by the Government to engage with communities ahead of refugees and asylum seekers moving into their towns and villages.

She heard strong criticism of the department from councillors, who expressed anger over the way immigrants and communities were being treated in County Tipperary.

Councillors also criticised the “outrageous costs” being paid to accommodation owners to house Ukrainian refugees and others seeking international protection.

Cllr Shane Lee said the policy implemented by the department had led to the closure of Roscrea’s only functional hotel because it wanted the property to house Ukrainian refugees seeking safety from war in their home country.

“With the stroke a pen the department went on a solo run and closed it [the hotel] down,” said Cllr Lee.

He said it was very difficult for any local representative to trust the department.

Cllr Lee said the community in Roscrea was given to understand that when refugees were being moved in to the building that it would revert to a hotel after twelve months.

He accused the department of “back-tracking” on commitments it had given. He found it very difficult to get answers from the department when making representations.

‘FEAR OF GOD’

Cllr Seamus Morris said the department had “put the fear of God” into Syrian refugees that it had housed in an apartment block in Borrisokane.

The department had subsequently come along and attempted to “literally dump them out on the street” when it issued a directive that the refugees leave their accommodation.

Cllr Morris said that in taking this action the department had broken a prior written commitment that had been given to councillors. “Our faith in your department is very low,” he told Ms Byrne.

Questioning the credentials of some people who were being paid by the Government for providing accommodation to refugees and immigrants, Cllr Morris added: “Your department is running roughshod…and you are making multi-millionaires out of very dubious people.”

Cllr Morris said the people of Borrisokane were very proud to offer accommodation to the immigrants.

After securing accommodation in the town, the community subsequently  had to fight hard to prevent the department moving them out of their apartments.

Cllr Morris told Ms Bryne that trust in the department was “at an all-time low”; it had by its own actions earned that low level of trust.

Ms Byrne said her department supported open and transparent information for communities.

However, this had been difficult to achieve as information that had been put out there in the past had led to the burning of a number of buildings where it was proposed to house people seeking asylum. Because of this the department had to be very careful about sharing information.

However, she said the febrile atmosphere that had resulted in the burning of properties around the State had since reduced significantly.

Cllr Joe Hannigan said councillors had agreed to housing 16 Syrian refugee families in Borrisokane following a meeting with Department of Justice officials in 2019, and they received the support of the community. “That deal was agreed, but it was then reneged on and people housed in apartments were basically put out.”

Cllr Jim Ryan said outrageous amounts of money was being paid by the State to those providing accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.

Cllr Michael O’ Meara said Borrisokane had been used as “a pawn”. There had been an original agreement to house 16 Syrian families in the town, but that had subsequently increased to 20 families. They were welcomed in the town.

However, he said local schools were struggling to cope with the resultant increase in enrolments. Commitments to provide extra resources in schools had not been honoured.