Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before last weekend, 130 asylum applicants were living in an inhumane condition in Dublin without on-site hygiene facilities, toilets accessible at night or washing facilities. In an attempt to hide Government failure on asylum accommodation, they were put on a bus and moved to the outskirts of Dublin to the site of a former nursing home at Crooksling. The conditions there were so bad that several of the men who had been ferried there felt they were better off on the street. This is another example of the Government's failure to conduct a community services audit prior to the placement of refugees in a given area. Government failure to ensure proper amenities and services are put in situ places communities across the State under enormous pressure, as well as, of course, the asylum seekers themselves. The Government has failed utterly and appears to be led by a policy that relies on speculators who make tens of millions of euro from the process. People want to do the right thing and support those seeking protection but State failure is putting intense pressure on limited services within communities. Why did the Government only recently start an audit of available accommodation places for international protection applicants? Is this audit now complete? What are its findings? When will we see the introduction of a fair, efficient and enforced immigration system?

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