Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It is obvious that there is not a gap in the legislation but what is needed are the resources to investigate properly who started the fires and bring the culprits to justice. People have to see consequences. That is where the focus should be. RTÉ's "Prime Time" programme has helpfully mapped the arson attacks since 2018 when a hotel in County Donegal earmarked for 100 asylum seekers was set alight. Since then ,23 fires have been set in properties that have been linked to housing for international protection applicants or beneficiaries of temporary protection. There has been an escalation. Ten of those fires have occurred since last November. Some of those fires were incorrectly linked to use for housing, including the Shipwright pub in Ringsend, which was intended for homeless families. Similarly, Honeywood in Leixlip was not considered, nor was it eligible to be considered, because it was a former family home.

I had that in writing and the people who were outside protesting had it in writing. There were two fires in that house. That was preceded by a small nightly protest and, on one occasion, a well-known far-right person participated in that protest. As we speak, there is a protest in Naas. It is very difficult to make people believe that temporary protection is the intended use because it is difficult to deal with misinformation.

“Prime Time” asked the Garda about those protests and the response was that "the majority of public gatherings and persons attending them are peaceful and their intent is peaceful”. The Garda went on to say that "such gatherings, and in effect those persons attending them, are used by a small minority with extreme and potentially criminal and dangerous intent to spread misinformation, disinformation and fake news”. It is domestic terrorism. There can be no excuse for deliberately setting a building on fire. It is a miracle that no one has been hurt or killed in the fires to date. There is a presumption that the buildings are empty but even if they are, neighbouring buildings, people in those buildings and those going in to fight the fires are being put at risk.

There have to be consequences. It is essential that the Government does not make empty promises with respect to resources and that those responsible are brought to justice. Those resources have to be guaranteed. Significant Garda resources are required to gather evidence following such events, and resources are taken away from the detection of other crimes when we already have a challenge with Garda numbers. The more arson attacks that happen, the greater the challenge. That is why it is so important that this is addressed comprehensively.

It cannot be a coincidence that the presence of individuals who are well known on social media platforms are available to go to any part of the country at the drop of a hat to pursue their far-right political agenda, and following their involvement, miraculously, many of these fires start. It seems obvious that there is some degree of organisation. The social media companies are facilitating some very dangerous and unacceptable behaviour and they have to be responsible. If they will not act, they should be made to act.

The lack of any obvious strategy by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in dealing with the accommodation needs of people coming into the country, the lack of a transparent process for considering offers of accommodation and the absence of communication with communities are leaving a dangerous vacuum. There is no doubt the war in Ukraine has changed the dynamic and removed the possibility of ending direct provision. There is a whole-of-government issue, yet the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is primarily left dealing with an issue that is broader than direct provision and accommodating people seeking refuge. Thousands of people living in direct provision have been afforded the right to remain but they cannot move on because of the housing crisis. We all hoped the war in Ukraine would be short-lived but it shows no signs of ending. It has just entered its third year, yet the Government appears to still be in emergency mode. The knock-on effect of this impacts people seeking international protection.

Several of the buildings that have been set alight are owned by the same cluster of people. Changes to legislation on the beneficial ownership of a company means it is impossible to get exact information, which needs to be addressed, but it is possible for the Government and the Department to get that information. There is no doubt that people are making a small fortune out of the misery of others and there is a lot of anger at how this is being handled. It needs to be addressed. Basically, the Department makes a call for expressions of interest, the buildings that are put forward are considered and, in some cases, they move to being used. However, only a small internal team seems to have knowledge of what accommodation is being considered. While I accept there is an emergency, with more than 1,000 human beings sleeping in tents on the streets and feeling threatened, people need to have confidence that the Government is handling this in a fair manner.

The former pub, the Shipwright in Ringsend, was intended for use by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive to house 16 families, but it was set alight. The ownership of the Shipwright pub, the building on Sherrard Street and Honeywood House in Leixlip are all linked. The same group of people in different capacities are involved in many buildings. Some of those who are purported to own these buildings are far from wealthy and there are legitimate questions about where the money is coming from. I have talked to many people who feel really angry about how the Department, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and the Government are handling this and the lack of controls over how contracts are awarded. Many of those I have spoken to are appalled by the handling of this issue by the Government but they are equally appalled by the arson attacks on buildings. There are legitimate concerns and labelling people who have those concerns as far-right is a major mistake, as is equating their concerns with being racist or being people who lack compassion for those who find themselves on the streets. It is not the fault of people arriving here that this is happening.

I have asked questions at the Committee of Public Accounts as to how those contracts are considered and I am told the only real issue that is considered is if they are tax-compliant. Hatch Hall, for example, a very fine building, was purchased recently and a contract was awarded by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive for ten years for homeless services. The building was purchased for €24 million on a ten-year lease worth €84 million. The person who appears to own the building is a guy who ran a small barber shop in Leixlip and retired a few years ago. He is not someone of means. If he is not the beneficial owner, who is hiding behind him? People have a legitimate reason to be concerned about that and to wonder what controls the State is putting on those particular aspects. There is a sense that this is not being-----

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