Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Colleagues are fully aware of the situation in Inch, County Clare. I welcome the lifting of the blockade. I have always believed the blockade was wrong and I was not afraid of calling it out and saying so. That said, I also have an issue with a bar, blockade or delay in information and communication from Departments. Every county in the country will have to step up to the plate and assist in the humanitarian crisis facing our country. As a result of what is facing the world, our country has to step up and play its part. With this in mind it is proper and appropriate that there would be clear protocols in the dissemination of information from the Government to communities. It is not good enough for NGOs, council officials and local and national public representatives to become aware of the opening of a direct provision centre through the media. These are people, by and large, who want to help. NGOs, local authority officials and public representatives are there to help. I seek a debate on the dissemination of information pertaining to new direct provision centres and for the Minister to come to the House to provide detail on the new protocols. We are advised the protocols are with the Department of the Taoiseach to be advanced and escalated from there but this is time-sensitive. Direct provision centres are needed urgently throughout the country. I believe 220 people slept on the street last night and will do so again tonight because we are not in a position to accommodate them.

To be fair, the Government is doing everything it can to find properties and it will find more properties. The problem is that the far-right is identifying vacant buildings and putting videos on social media announcing there will be direct provision centres in such locations. This happened in my area last weekend. This results in protests, scaremongering and a lack of clarity and information. Communication on this issue is critical. It would be very useful if the Minister could come to the House to outline his plans and how he proposes to go about them.