Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a steady flow of information here today, but this was information the Minister could not give me three or four weeks ago. I and other politicians in the county have been left firefighting. We are trying to give accurate information to people who have genuine concerns. Beyond that, there is huge exploitation coming from the far right. The Minister needs to give us information. I cannot fathom why he could not give me, as a colleague in government, information in the House three weeks ago, yet his office was able to brief RTÉ's "Drivetime". That is not the way things should work in a coalition Government.

I want to reference the town of Lisdoonvarna, County Clare. This time last year it had a population of 400 people and now has a population of close to 1,500, an almost fourfold increase in population. It has welcomed every single Ukrainian and international protection refugee. The people there have done an incredible job welcoming refugees, but there are no longer boots on the ground. At one point, a class was being taught in a cloakroom. There is no GP care. There is lack of everything and no co-ordination. We need the Minister and his officials to be on the ground. They were everywhere last March. They marched up and down the street with ambassadors. There were photo opportunities and a fanfare. There is now nothing. The town is pleading for support and help from Government. The town will play its part but it wants the Government to step up as well.

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