Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Along with my Labour colleagues, I condemn outright the horrific attacks that took place in my constituency this weekend with the burning of tents on Sandwith Street and the intimidation of individuals forced to sleep in tents in and around the Mount Street area. I met with these people over the weekend. I met with people who travelled to Ireland to seek refuge and to make a contribution to our society and who instead have been given no choice but to sleep on the streets awaiting the processing of their applications to stay and the allocation of housing from our wealthy State. It is an appalling indictment that we cannot provide them, apparently, with accommodation. I again say that all of us have to show political leadership in condemning the small number of far-right activists who took this brutal action in burning people out of their homes and burning down tents. I went to see the destruction in the burnt-out alleyway off Sandwith Street and the awful scenes that we saw circulated on social media. I absolutely condemn that small number of individuals, who are in no way representative of Irish society, which has shown a great welcome to those who have come here to seek refuge. The attacks are a stain on our society and those responsible must be brought to justice. I have engaged with the local police and I know that investigations are under way.

The circumstances in which people are forced to sleep on the streets while awaiting the processing of applications are also shameful. The Government needs to do more on this. I have repeatedly raised this issue with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I thank him for his engagement with me on this matter over the weekend. Clearly, we need to see increased capacity and the delivery of accommodation at scale for those who come here to seek refuge. I have repeatedly asked for a dedicated Minister for refugee and international protection services. I have called on the Taoiseach to ensure greater co-ordination between Government Departments because there is still a sense that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has been left to shoulder almost the entire responsibility for housing those who come here to seek refuge and that other Departments have simply not been willing to assist and support that Department and to provide the necessary accommodation, which we have a duty to provide. Indeed, the High Court recently confirmed that the Government is in breach of our international duties in failing to provide accommodation.

This is even worse because we are a nation of emigrants. For generations, Irish people fled to safer shores and went abroad to find prosperity and peace. We would like to think they were not forced to sleep on the streets in the places they went. I ask the Minister to speak with the Taoiseach to ensure that we restore humanity to our refugee accommodation system.

Furthermore, the arrival of refugees and inward migration to Ireland is a positive thing at a time when the Government consistently cites labour shortages as a causal factor in the chronic housing shortage and undersupply of housing. Many of these people are highly skilled and want to come here and work. They told me on Saturday they just want to work to contribute to our society. Work is always the best way to ensure integration. Will the Minister guarantee that the Government will take a more co-ordinated approach urgently to address the crisis in which people are sleeping on the streets who need to be housed and have the right to work?

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