Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Twelve months ago today, the good people of Dundrum - two of whom the Tánaiste met and I mentioned them to him before, Ms Nora O'Dwyer and Ms Andrea Crowe - started a peaceful, decent protest at the gates. I had a video sent to me half an hour ago of the bus leaving with the last of the Ukrainians. We do not know where they are going but they are being moved out to be replaced by international protection applicants. This is a shocking vista. It is a grave abuse of the community and people of Dundrum. The Ukrainians were working, integrated and being well looked after by the community. Now they have been loaded on a bus this morning. I do not know if even they know where they are going. The hotel is now an IPAS centre. The Tánaiste told me some months ago that he wanted a pause on hotels being taken over by IPAS centres, and here we are. He met Ms O'Dwyer and Ms Crowe but he never came back to them. There was no proper community engagement ever. It was token engagement. To put 277 IPAS people into a village of 220 people is criminal. It tears to shreds the Government's guidelines about not changing the demographics by 5%. What is the Government trying to do to the people of Dundrum and Tipperary? There will be apologies in this House in years to come about the way communities and good, honest people who want to make a living are being treated. They do not want to be at those gates 24-7. They have enough to do. There are there 12 months today and I am marking that this evening. It is a shameful situation.

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