Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The residents of Saggart, Citywest, Rathcoole and adjacent areas today got a huge slap in the face. In very arrogant, dismissive behaviour by the Government, it issued a press statement and then the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy went out onto the plinth and said the State was purchasing the Citywest Hotel. This came with no notice to any of the local elected representatives, not least Deputies Shane Moynihan and Emer Higgins on the Government side. On 22 May last, it first came out in the media that the Government was considering this. Since then, I have put down five parliamentary questions. I asked the Minister what the plans were, whether he could outline them and whether there would be consultation. I even used the term "enhanced consultation" because consultation has not always been such. It is more about telling people what the Government has already done rather than giving people any kind of input. There were calls for the Minister to sit down with residents' groups and representative bodies from the Saggart and Citywest area to talk about the plans.

Citywest is not just another location for a permanent IPAS centre. It was the largest hotel and conference centre in Europe. It was the home for many years of the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheiseanna. Because of ramshackle rezoning over the years, it was one of the few community facilities in the wider Rathcoole and Saggart area. When I was a councillor, going back to the start of the development plan in 2016, when the owners were looking at getting the land rezoned for large-scale residential, the residents spoke very eloquently and in large numbers about the need to protect the site. Going back to 2015, around its National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, period, the hotel and conference centre was operating as a profitable concern. It then turned into a Covid centre, then became a temporary location for Ukrainian refugees and then moved on to hosting International Protection Accommodation Services, IPAS.

The community has been quite balanced in pointing out the pluses and minuses. There have been instances of antisocial behaviour because if you put 2,000 people anywhere, that will be the case. It also has been the case that some of the residents have helped in Tidy Towns and other community events. The reality, however, is that this is not a built-for-purpose centre. It is a hotel and conference centre. There is a gym and leisure centre in operation. I note that the Minister said that some things would be allowed to continue. Why could he not have met the residents and gone through all of the issues in advance? That was a fair question and it was not listened to. This was presented as a fait accompli, a big slap in the face.

Saggart is one of the fastest growing and youngest areas in the country. Approximately a third of all residents of Saggart are under the age of 15. Another third of Saggart residents were not born in Saggart, which points out that Saggart is a very welcoming and diverse community. However, it does not have the facilities. There are no public areas in the Saggart, Citywest and Rathcoole locations where they can put in a lot of council amenities. Adjacent lands have been rezoned under the strategic housing developments. There have been lots of new houses but no facilities. The chance the community had of this hotel being repurposed once again for community need now appears to be gone, unless there is proper engagement and consultation now that the Government is going ahead with this plan.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy most sincerely for raising this matter. I wish to convey the apologies of my colleague the Minster for Justice, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, who regrets he cannot be here for this matter due to another commitment. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank Deputy Gogarty for raising this issue and for offering me the opportunity to respond.

An opportunity has arisen for the State to purchase the Citywest campus, a former hotel complex in the outer Dublin region. The purchase is part of a long-term strategy to develop a sustainable accommodation system. It will deliver significant long-term savings to the State as it moves from licensing to ownership, and will enable Ireland to meet our requirements under the new EU pact on migration and asylum.

The site, which is already being used for both international protection and Ukrainian accommodation, currently has capacity to accommodate approximately 2,300 people between the hotel and the convention centre. When purchased, the campus will continue to be used to accommodate international protection applicants, meeting the State’s intention to increase State-owned accommodation in this sector, which is a major step forward in delivering on the programme for Government. The Citywest campus will be the foundation stone for the new screening facility and border facility and will enable a one-stop shop for processing, accommodation and supports in one location, delivering the most pivotal parts of the new migration pact.

Since 2020, the State has been leasing parts of the Citywest campus, first to support the delivery of vaccinations during Covid-19, and since May 2022, as a transit hub and accommodation centre for both beneficiaries of temporary protection and international protection applicants. The State’s current licence for the site expires at the beginning of September. The campus has become a very important multifunctional facility for the State. There is currently no alternative accommodation centre of similar scale and facilities to process and accommodate both international protection, and beneficiary of temporary protection, arrivals.

The cross-government response has been working extremely well at the Citywest campus and this has been acknowledged by all the State parties and NGOs. There are no immediate plans to increase the capacity at this site. New spaces for international protection applicants will be achieved by using the existing capacity currently being used by Ukrainians and restructures to the current layout. This means the purchase will not lead to increased pressure on local services or the community. The leisure centre on the campus is in commercial use and it is proposed it will continue to function as it currently does to ensure the community can maintain its very important access.

The Department wants to support amenities, local services and integration in this area and our community engagement team is already working closely with local community leaders, community groups and stakeholders. A significant strength that applies to the engagement programme needed at this site is that the Citywest campus already enjoys good relationships and operational partnerships in the community with State services and community representatives, including elected representatives.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Regarding the State's requirement to have a number of large-scale IPAS centres, I see the logic of the State trying to buy somewhere rather than pay rent. I believe, however, that such centres need to be purpose-built rather than trying to call a former hotel a suitable campus. I mentioned this to the Taoiseach before. Obviously, we are a welcoming country and many people are fleeing persecution and need our support. Equally, as I pointed out, there are economic migrants abusing the asylum process and these people need to be processed very quickly. Unfortunately, it is taking far too long. If it was not taking so long, we would not need so many IPAS centres. It should take six months for people to be in and out of the process and for a decision to be made that they are welcome because they are fleeing persecution or - and they might be the nicest people in the world - told "sorry, we do not have the capacity". This is what we are requiring.

In terms of this specific location, I am a bit worried about some of the words used, such as there being "no immediate plans to increase the capacity of this site". Reading through that after today's announcement is like hearing it will be increased down the line. There are also issues concerning the "good relationships and operational partnerships in the community". Yes, there have been very good relationships, but there have also been issues of overcrowding in the past and reports of incidents of antisocial behaviour. Saggart does not have sufficient GP services or proper Garda services. In any type of consultation, the first things to be asked include what GP levels, education facilities, types of support and leisure activities are being planned to be on site. All these things should be considered in the discussion before any purchase goes through. While there are no current plans to get rid of the leisure centre and the gym, equally, there is no opportunity for a long-term vision to repurpose this as a major hotel and conference centre again, something that was very valuable to south-west Dublin in the past and I believe should be once again.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Once again, Deputy Gogarty's sincerity and concern are very obvious. I thank him for that. He was also very balanced. The planned facility at the site will enable the fastest and most efficient processing of asylum applications in the history of the State. Applicants who will be part of the migration pact border procedures will be fully processed in less than three months from application to the final decision, which is very important.

In terms of application numbers, this Government has seen a reduction in those applying for international protection this year from an average of 1,500 per month in 2024 to an average of 1,000 per month so far in 2025. We are, however, still trending to have the third or fourth highest annual application level in the history of the State. Reform of the processing system and the migration pact will help to curtail the need for growth in the accommodation system, but there is still a need to ensure cost-effective solutions that deliver long-term sustainability for international protection accommodation. Community engagement will focus on providing direct public information, proactively engaging with people and local media and creating a space for safe and sound dialogue.