Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach's statement that there must be consultation about housing asylum seekers in communities is a major change of Government policy. There has not been dialogue. There has not been planning. There have not been additional resources for communities that host vulnerable people seeking international protection.

East Wall is merely the latest example of this. East Wall, by the way, is a diverse and integrated community, yet now totally unnecessary division and anxiety has been driven by a lack of dialogue and a lack of basic planning. Communities know that those seeking international protection have to be catered for. That matter is not in dispute. They also know that communities such as East Wall have been treated with utter disrespect and that, in fact, asylum seekers themselves have been treated with utter disrespect. The Taoiseach needs to set out for the Dáil what he means by what he calls "consultation".

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