Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have the opportunity to raise this issue again. I am asking the Minister quite directly to put additional resources into rural communities that are taking in and seeing increased numbers of arrivals of refugees and international protection families. I have raised this issue with the Minister here and I have raised it with the Taoiseach. I have raised it with the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and at committee, but nothing is happening. That is why I am raising it here again.

The case in point that I have continually raised is Ballaghaderreen, which unfortunately is the most economically poor town in all of County Roscommon.

It suffered immensely throughout the 2008 crash. Lots of businesses were lost and the town has never recovered. If the town was booming we probably would not have these issues and would not seek additional resources, but unfortunately that is not the case.

That said, it is important to say that Ballaghaderreen is a good town. It is full of families that have been there for generations and very good people. However, good people can only take so much. The issue is that from 2017 onwards refugees and families seeking international protection have arrived to the town and we have not seen a single additional support. That is not fair, acceptable or right. It is not fair to the existing community or those arriving there.

Promises were made when Syrian refugees arrived in Ballaghaderreen in 2017. A healthcare professional was promised on site to acknowledge the healthcare needs that were there and the fact the two GPs in town were under pressure. One can only imagine the level of pressure they are under now. They both run waiting lists. That promise was broken and no additional healthcare service was put in place in the town.

I cannot for the life of me understand why we would allow frustration to grow in a town like Ballaghaderreen. It is needless and can be totally avoided if the Government, Department by Department, would co-operate. I do not believe any co-operation is taking place. I would love to know what role the Department of Health and HSE are taking in this regard because towns like Ballaghaderreen are being put under immense pressure and are getting no support.

I spoke to the family resource centre today, which has nothing. Schools outside of the town are being asked to use their resources when additional children arrive due to the fact that the school in the town is full. What is the Department of Education doing? We need cross-departmental action and every Department needs to play its role to ensure that when people come in they, along with the existing community, are supported.

The Government is failing the people of Ballaghaderreen and all rural towns. I mention rural towns in particular because they lost out when the recession hit in 2008. They have lost many services and supports down through the years and more than likely, have not recovered in recent years.

I wrote to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, in December and made five requests, namely, healthcare, additional funding for the family resource centre, additional supports for schools outside of the town, for the community welfare officer to be brought into the health centre where she used to be based to make sure that face-to-face support was available when it came to income support and that there would be supports for clubs and organisations in the town. I accept that is being addressed by way of the community recognition fund, which is welcome, but we need practical supports in the town now. People cannot and will not wait much longer for this.

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